In 2020, Kristin Hayes’ son was diagnosed with high-risk stage four cancer. Hayes said her family relied heavily on the children’s special healthcare services at the St. Clair County Health Department (SCCHD) during her son’s treatment.
Hayes, a registered nurse with over a decade of experience, eventually began working with the SCCHD to help guide other families while their loved ones received care.
“The work that we do at the health department is very personal to me. I know so many community members rely on what we do every day. It’s important to me to protect the integrity of the programs that we provide to our community,” said Hayes, adding that the county health department has seen an uptick in patients coming to them for reproductive health care as a result of federal funding cuts.
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“Every time I work, I’m seeing more and more people coming in that have never come to see us before, and more and more of them don’t have insurance,” she said.
But as multiple complaints from her colleagues against SCCHD Medical Director Dr. Remington Nevin remain unaddressed in an official capacity—despite the health department’s own human resources recommendation to the County Board to launch an investigation—Hayes says that some fellow nurses are at their breaking point.
“We have lost several highly qualified, highly educated staff members due to the work environment we’re in,” said Hayes. And losing staff also means losing vital healthcare resources for the surrounding community. Earlier this year, the county closed its teen health clinics. Hayes worries that further federal funding cuts under Title X are also making health department staff feel insecure in their current positions.
“When you lose employees that have many years of education and training, it’s a big disservice to our community,” said Hayes.
“We are appreciative that they’re finally starting to discuss the investigation; however, at some point, that discussion needs to turn into action,” said Hayes.
While Hayes appreciates the dozens of community members who showed up to support her fellow nurses, she said she feels a mixture of encouragement and frustration following the meeting with the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners in early September.
“We’re encouraged that [the board] is willing to discuss it and look at what we have, but we feel like this could have happened 20 months ago when the investigation was first recommended,” said Hayes.
“I don’t think it should have gotten to this point where we’re still here, still waiting, and still waiting for a safe work environment.”
Read more: St. Clair County nurses, residents call for investigation into medical director
