Dozens of nurses and other health care staff from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center protested at the university’s quarterly board of trustees meeting on May 21 at the Longaberger Alumni House, demanding better staffing and enhanced workplace safety
We are Buckeyes, but we are treated like bullseyes,” Amy Pompeii, a registered nurse at the Wexner Medical Center and president of the Ohio State University Nurses Organization (OSUNO), told trustees in prepared remarks during Thursday’s public meeting.
Pompeii specifically called on trustees and Ohio State President Ted Carter to make improvements to the Wexner Medical Center’s emergency department entrance, which she described as a “high-risk zone” that leaves health care staff exposed and vulnerable to violence.
In January, OSUNO filed a complaint with the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, detailing a December 2024 incident in which an emergency department patient became agitated and then violent, and made verbal death threats to nurses and others. An hour later, when security showed up to restrain the patient, a loaded gun was found on them.
Pompeii said the group is calling on Ohio State’s leadership to provide safe staffing, protection from harm and fair pay. Failure to act, she said, would only exacerbate the issued.
Representatives for OSUNO previously told The Dispatch at a February union demonstration that their concerns have been repeatedly dismissed by leadership.
Some of the demonstrators carried signs reading “Health care workers deserve to be safe at work” and “Workplace violence puts everyone at risk.” At the end of Pompeii’s remarks, the group delivered hundreds of postcards signed by Ohio State health care staff to the trustees calling on them to address their concerns.
Ohio State nurses protest at university trustee meeting for safer conditions, better pay.
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center staff protested at a board of trustees meeting demanding better staffing and workplace safety.
The protest was led by the Ohio State University Nurses Organization, citing concerns about violence against healthcare workers.
The board also approved new leadership hires, a tuition waiver for veterans and military families, and awarded the inaugural Pierre Agostini Prize.
Dozens of nurses and other health care staff from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center protested at the university’s quarterly board of trustees meeting on May 21 at the Longaberger Alumni House, demanding better staffing and enhanced workplace safety.
“We are Buckeyes, but we are treated like bullseyes,” Amy Pompeii, a registered nurse at the Wexner Medical Center and president of the Ohio State University Nurses Organization (OSUNO), told trustees in prepared remarks during Thursday’s public meeting.
Pompeii specifically called on trustees and Ohio State President Ted Carter to make improvements to the Wexner Medical Center’s emergency department entrance, which she described as a “high-risk zone” that leaves health care staff exposed and vulnerable to violence.
In January, OSUNO filed a complaint with the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, detailing a December 2024 incident in which an emergency department patient became agitated and then violent, and made verbal death threats to nurses and others. An hour later, when security showed up to restrain the patient, a loaded gun was found on them.
Pompeii said the group is calling on Ohio State’s leadership to provide safe staffing, protection from harm and fair pay. Failure to act, she said, would only exacerbate the issued.
Representatives for OSUNO previously told The Dispatch at a February union demonstration that their concerns have been repeatedly dismissed by leadership.
Some of the demonstrators carried signs reading “Health care workers deserve to be safe at work” and “Workplace violence puts everyone at risk.” At the end of Pompeii’s remarks, the group delivered hundreds of postcards signed by Ohio State health care staff to the trustees calling on them to address their concerns.
Chairman John Zeiger said he and the other trustees value the work Ohio State’s health care workers do each day.
Ohio State spokesperson Ben Johnson said contract negotiations are “progressing well with several tentative agreements reached over many non-economic articles.”
“We remain committed to working together to reach a fair contract and advance our common goals to be a workplace of choice and provide safe, world-class care for every patient, every time,” he said.
Trustees met in committees throughout spring semester discussing university business and voted on 42 items during Thursday’s public meeting. Trustee Jeff Kaplan was advised to abstain from the vote, although no reason was given.
Here’s a look at some of the board’s actions and discussions:
New leadership at Ohio State hospital, Fisher College of Business
Trustees approved two new leadership hires at the university.
W. Kimryn Rathmell will take over as CEO of the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Rathmell most recently served as director of the National Cancer Institute. She will officially start on May 27.
“Ohio State is a place that embraces the excitement of possibility and takes bold steps in advancing biomedical breakthroughs that provide hope and healing,” Rathmell said in a statement announcing her hire in April. “Together, we will lead the way to reduce the burden of cancer.”
Aravind Chandrasekaren was appointed as interim dean of the Fisher College of Business. He will serve a two-year term beginning June 1 and running through June 30, 2027.
Chandrasekaren is currently the Fisher Distinguished Professor in Operations and Business Analytics at the college. His research focuses on innovation, learning and knowledge creation issues in a variety of industries including manufacturing and health care delivery
