Oregon Nurses Association previously spoke out about alleged patient privacy violations of ICE detainees who receive medical care at the Legacy facility. by Taylor Griggs Attorneys for Legacy Emanuel Medical Center sent a cease and desist notice to the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) on January 16, accusing the union of making “false and misleading statements” regarding the hospital’s policies on immigration enforcement activity in the facility.  Last month, nurses at Legacy went public with their concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) presence in the hospital. Nurses on the ground say the hospital has been overly accommodating of immigration enforcement agents in ways that have been dangerous to patients and violate patient privacy. Legacy sees it another way, according to its letter. “ONA’s actions are harmful to patient care, discourage patients from medical attention, and appear reckless based on the information provided to date to Legacy,” the letter stated. Staff told the Mercury in December that ICE and US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents seemingly landed on Legacy Emanuel as the “go to” place to take people after they detained them, often after they injure people during violent arrests. Nurses said the hospital allowed agents to stay with patients while they received treatment, which disrupted patient care, including in medically harmful ways. ONA is the state’s largest labor union for health care workers. On January 8, the union followed up on a letter it sent to Legacy Health in December outlining the nurses’ concerns, asking hospital leaders to sign a memorandum of understanding with ONA to establish clear standards protecting patient care as ICE ramps up its detainment efforts. The cease and desist notice came a week later.  The notice, from hospital attorneys at the firm Davis Wright Tremaine, alleges the union’s statements contained false information. The hospital’s legal team insists Legacy has “comprehensive policies and practices” to ensure compliance with patient privacy laws and says the health care organization’s policies give patients autonomy over their health care decisions and deliver appropriate patient care for those in law enforcement custody. The hospital ordered union members to report “any perceived compliance violations” to Legacy Emanuel itself, rather than making unidentified reports to the union.  Peter Starzynski, ONA director of communications, told the Mercury that Legacy’s written policies are not the issue. “We've stated all along that their written policies aren't the issue, it's the practice that's the issue, and ICE in the facilities need to be actually held to the policies that Legacy has written on file,” Starzynski said. “Our nurses and frontline caregivers want to be able to provide (know your rights) information and other resources, as they do with many patients who come through the door.” Current and former Legacy staff told the Mercury they don’t trust the internal reporting system and fear retaliation for reporting compliance violations. They also said when they found it ineffective, they decided to bring their concerns to ONA. Why don't nurses want to report to Legacy? Though nurses believe patients are being put at risk by Legacy’s current practices, the hospital claims it’s the union that has actually caused harm to patients and potential patients.  “We believe ONA has discouraged vulnerable people in our community from seeking needed medical treatment,” the cease and desist notice states. “As a union representing members of the healthcare workforce and at a time of such collective unrest in our communities, we see it as irresponsible for ONA to fuel such allegations without working through them constructively as partners at Legacy.”  The increase in ICE activity, nationwide and in Oregon, has caused fear among vulnerable community members. After President Trump began his second term last January, he rescinded previous protections for immigrants at hospitals, schools, and churches. Public health experts across the country have reported on the resulting chilling effect, saying it could have long-term health impacts.  Last week, an entire family was detained outside Adventist Health hospital in Portland while attempting to seek emergency treatment for their 7-year-old daughter. The Oregonian reported the family was taken to ICE’s Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma before being flown to another center in Texas, where the girl was finally seen by a doctor—five days later.  “This is the first enforcement action in or near a hospital when someone is seeking care, and that is a wholly chilling and alarming, disgusting situation that should worry every single Oregonian," Starzynski said. “Hospitals should be places of healing. They should be places of trust. They should be places free from fear. And now we're talking about a seven-year-old child who is being taken to for emergency care and detained before they received that care. Crazy, unacceptable." Starzynski said ONA is looking forward to meeting with Legacy to reach an agreement and sign the memorandum of understanding in the near future. A Legacy spokesperson acknowledged but did not immediately provide a statement in response to the Mercury’s request. This story will be updated. ...read more read less