A Story of Loss

— guest post by an anonymous respiratory therapist at OHSU —

We are respiratory therapists at OHSU. Our story is this…

It is one of loss.

The loss of a sense of reality. How is it possible, in an unprecedented respiratory pandemic, that our group may have been the most undermined and under-supported of patient-facing roles at OHSU?

The loss of more than 30 colleagues throughout the pandemic, who left to follow opportunities OHSU decided we didn’t deserve. This, as the federal grant money that OHSU took advantage of was used to bring in and maintain contract workers, when it could have been used to retain existing employees.

The loss of an already tenuous sense of dignity, due to OHSU’s flagrant short-selling of our worth.

The loss of pride. OHSU has become a second-rate employer due to its prioritization of profits over patients, and because of its pathetic attempts at addressing the abject racism that Black and brown people experience within its walls.

The loss of faith in those who lead OHSU. A mission statement and set of values that can only be described as counterfeit. The empty words.

The loss of trust that causes employees to go out into their communities and speak about their employer resentfully.

The loss of patience. We see OHSU consolidating health-care competition in Oregon. We see the relationship with Moda. We’ve seen the many hats worn depending on the tax code or the optics, but there really is only one hat. OHSU is a corporation that cares about nothing other than money.

As a department, we have many personal statements and stories that show the ripple effects of OHSU’s disgraceful behavior throughout the pandemic and beyond — stories of loss, depression, exhaustion, anger, anxiety. These are real experiences that we are ready to share freely, openly and with an intensity that only comes from a deep sense of betrayal.

It’s time for OHSU to do right by us. We won’t lose any more.