Osawatomie registered nurses to receive 10 percent pay raise

Registered nurses will receive a 10 percent pay increase at Osawatomie State Hospital, the state said Monday.

Osawatomie has undergone scrutiny during the past three months for dangerous patient conditions.

Osawatomie lost its Medicare certification in December after an inspection revealed nursing staff members were negligent in supervising patients.

Tim Keck, secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, which oversees Osawatomie, said in a statement that he hopes the pay increase will help the hospital regain certification.

The increased pay could help attract more qualified employees and reduce turnover rates. Between 12 and 15 registered nurse positions are currently vacant.

Keck said that the state conducted a market study of salaries for registered nurses. He said the study showed that Osawatomie paid 9 percent less than other comparable hospitals for starting salaries.

Osawatomie’s starting salary for registered nurses was $25.05 per hour. The salaries will now start at $28.44 an hour.

Background

Osawatomie, in Miami County near the Missouri state line, is one of two state mental hospitals. It mostly serves eastern and southern Kansas, including Sedgwick County.

Larned is the other state hospital.

The two institutions care for people who are thought to be a danger to themselves or others. Patients are usually admitted involuntarily.

In October, a patient at Osawatomie raped a hospital employee.

The department that oversees Medicare had already said Osawatomie wasn’t in compliance with federal standards. Officials then investigated the hospital following the rape.

The investigation revealed other problems with patient and worker safety at the hospital.

According to the report, nurses assigned a male patient who was know to be sexually aggressive – and who was a registered sex offender – to a room in a female hallway. The man had sex with a female patient a few days later.

The report also said that staff members at Osawatomie failed to protect a patient in a wheelchair who could not defend herself from attacks from a suicidal roommate.

The roommate would pull out handfuls of hair, choke or kick people. She also attempted suicide in the hospital, and staff members didn’t properly supervise her, according to the report.

By the numbers

Angela de Rocha, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, added some details about the pay increase.

▪ The money for pay increases comes from $2 million added to the department’s budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

▪ De Rocha estimates the pay increase will cost the state about $600,000 per year. She said that number would change depending on how many nurses the hospital hires.

▪ The hospital had 326 employees as of Monday. Twenty-one of those were full-time registered nurses, according to the state. Another 15 registered nurses also work at the hospital through a contracted company.

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 8:01 PM.