Complaint Review: Shorepointe Nursing Center - Saint Clair Shores Michigan

This facility is all about keeping people of color, any color, out of high ranking positions. They even fire anyone not white after a very short period of time so they can cover themselves against any racist report. People of color are usually hired for lower positions like CNAs, cooks, and the cleaning staff. Never high positions like DON, assisted DON, administrators, or nurse supervisor. The only two nurses of color (One black one biracial) in supervisor positions work the midnight shift and one nurse only the weekend midnight shift where visitors of the residents usually won't see them because they're usually gone by the time visitors arrive.

There are nurses of color working for this facility but they are 90% agency nurses that come in when the floor is short and easily dispensable. Any full time nurse is usually picked on, with nasty rumors about them even if the nurse keeps to herself.

For example, one nurse was hired and everyday she came in she would hear what the other staff rumors constantly said about her. Never once did her supervisors comment negatively about her until the day she was unfoundedly fired for trivial matters.

Her supervisor reported that she'd missed signing off the morning meds even though each medication was flagged and the patients, all alert, said that they had been given their medication. She was told that she didn't give TB test or read the results of other TB test to be done on her shift, even though she was out sick on the reported days. Because she worked midnights the TB she was supposed to have missed wasn't to be read until that night when she same in that night not the night before like the other nurse that reported her claimed, which she indeed had on the appropriate night. The nurse that reported her clearly did not read correctly to see that the test wasn't to be read until that night but the supervisors didn't bother looking into it nor would they listen to the fired nurse's explanation.

They also had a complaint from a resident saying that he/she complained of abdominal pains and was only given mylanta for his/her pain. The nurse had charted that the resident complained and was given Mylanta for it. In truth from several witnesses of the staff, the man did not complain of abdominal pains but gas and that's why he/she was given mylanta with no further complaints that night until the following day. The nurse was still terminated without a fair hearing or that she had never received any complaints or conferences from her superiors. She was only working there for less than ninety days so she really couldn't fight the claims against her.

We soon learned that it was a deliberate act from her supervisor and the other nurse to get rid of her for making an opinion about a scandalous but true tale about her supervisor. A tale her supervisor had no shame admitting to everyone and common knowledge, which she only became ashamed of it when everyone began calling her a w***e.

The white staff is often protected from being fired or punished for any mistake even if it endangers a resident.

For instance, the same nurse that reported the fired nurse gave Coumadin (A potentially deadly blood thinner) to a patient when she was supposed to phone the doctor first, putting the resident's life in danger. She wasnt fired or even wrote up for this action, proving that the white staff is often protected when the minority staff is not.

Most of the minority staff that was permanent was fired for trivial reasons not warranted for firing but if the white staff were really investigated then most of them would also be fired like the supervisor.

Another nurse was fired because her resident was wearing a dirty brief when the next shift had come in, even though the nurse was very dilligent at making sure the residents were clean for the next shift. Having no other help on the floor the nurse did not check the patient before she left and even though it could not be proved that the CNA didn't change the patient or that the resident didn't use the brief after he/she had been changed, she was too fired. Another minority fired for something she should've just been written up for if it could be proven, she was at fault.

We learned that this also was a deliberate action by the supervisor because she didn't like this nurse. The rest of the remaining minority staff suspect that their time too will be unjustly cut short for if not racial discrimination, then for a personal vendetta by a member of the white staff.

Instances of the white staff's shameful practices are screwing on the facility with other staff, taking controlled drugs of their patient's, and treating the residents like cattle while pretending to care. In one case, a bedridden resident's leg was broken and the staff had no explanations for it. How could a patient break their leg when they can't even get out of bed?

One thing is in agreement by all the minority staff is that the supervisor (Terry) that fired staff unfoundedly has actually done things where she should've been fired a long time ago. For one, she's married or was at the time, when she slept with the then security guard in the facility's Chapel and found later to have conceived a child through this exchange. Talk about having an adulteress affair in the one place where God is always looking, a fact that everyone in the facility knows including her own superiors. Why wasnt she fired, you ask. Well, we here still hanging on to our jobs, don't. In fact, we know exactly why. She's protected by the color of her skin.

The nurse that was fired made the mistake of saying that how could someone like that still be working at the facility in a high-ranking position after doing something like that when everyone, including her bosses knew about it. Her mistake was saying it in an earshot of another white staff member that was friends with the supervisor.

Another white employee (married as well) had an affair with the same security guard on the elevator. This place is one big soap opera but if any of the minority staff, did any of those things they would be fired and forget about being hired anywhere else.

Someone should do something about this but we are helpless to complain because we all know what will happen to us if we do. We wouldn't be fired immediately, no, that would cause too much suspicion and probably a lawsuit. THe staff member that complained would soon find himself set up and fired as it has happened so many times before.

If the families of the residents here knew how the staff behaved and knew it was excused we have no doubt this facility would be shut down and turned into a whorehouse, with drugs included.

Our supervisor Terry is a s***k that loves to throw stones from her glass house. Nothing is going to be done about it because she is protected by the color of her skin.

I have never complained about race issues even though at times I feel I have been treated unfairly because of my race. I try not to yell racism because it is often abused to get what a person wants but in this case, I'm sure it exists. I know that not all white people are racist because my own grandfather is Irish but I can not ignore it this time when it is so blatantly put in front of me. I also know it will be hard proving this because companies like Shorepointe usually cover themselves really good when they don't want to be exposed and even moreso now that a big company has bought the facility.

Blueangel

Harper woods, Michigan

U.S.A.