T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA Former and current EORH employees and supporters who have not been paid on schedule protest across the street from the hospital. The protest started Wednesday morning, with some protesters staying well into the afternoon.

MARTINS FERRY — Around 25 disgruntled former and current employees and their supporters gathered on the sidewalk across the street from East Ohio Regional Hospital on Wednesday to protest not being paid.

Protesters said they feel they have been left largely in the dark about the ever-changing status of the hospital, and some said they fear retaliation for voicing their dissatisfaction. Employees were scheduled to receive paychecks on Friday and still had not been paid as of Wednesday afternoon.

Protest organizer Nikki Rose said her goal was to show hospital leadership that the way employees have been treated is “not OK. It is completely illegal.” Rose worked for EORH’s skilled nursing center before it shut down in late February.

“We have families. We have credit. We have households that we have to take care of. So my goal is pretty much just to let it be known that we are not backing down. We’re here. We’re standing together as a family,” she said.

Rose reminded protesters to remain peaceful.

ICU nurse Ashley Walker said many staff members opted out of the protest because they were either asked directly by hospital leadership not to attend or because they feared retaliation. Walker said it’s “heartbreaking” to see the hospital deteriorate and for employees to not feel cared about by the administration.

“We would love to stay. This is home. We like the small hospital, we like the community feel,” she said. “I know people say that we’re delusional, we’re stupid for staying, but no, this is our family. We want it to succeed. We were so proud to start this four years ago.”

EORH was closed along with Ohio Valley Medical Center in Wheeling in 2019 by then-owner Alecto Healthcare Services. Dr. John Johnson, a psychiatrist who owns and operates other medical facilities, purchased EORH in spring 2020 and reopened the hospital in February 2021.

On Wednesday, hospital maintenance workers could be seen photographing the protesters from across the street. One individual was briefly seen taking photographs of the protest from the hospital’s roof.

Some current employees showed support for the protesters from a distance, standing in the hospital’s parking lot or just outside its doors on their breaks. Other supporters of the protesters dropped off drinks and snacks.

At one point, Martins Ferry police officers stopped by to offer words of support.

The group received a stream of supportive honks from passersby and a visit from St. Clairsville Mayor Kathryn Thalman. Thalman applauded the protesters’ “heart and soul” and noted how much the hospital has gone downhill since its reopening four years ago.

Thalman told the protesters she thought Johnson should have been present to speak with and listen to them.

Two EORH lab workers, Nikki Gust and Daleitha Johnson, said many of their coworkers are living paycheck to paycheck and are struggling with the lack of pay.

“This isn’t a charity. (Owner John Johnson) is making money by me being here every day. If people like us don’t stand up for the right thing, then nobody is going to do it,” Gust said.

Some, like Daleitha Johnson, have had to lean on family and friends for help.

“I couldn’t even put gas in my car. My mom had to put gas in my car for me. I have bills coming up in a couple weeks. How am I going to pay those?” she said. “I work hard for my money, so I feel like I should be compensated.”

Registered nurse Desiree Bucklew, who watched the protest from a vehicle in the EORH parking lot, said she and her coworkers recently took a recertification class for Pediatric Advanced Life Support through the American Heart Association. However, she claimed she has yet to receive her certification due to EORH not paying the AHA the fees required to recertify.

She said that although this was just a recertification for her after hers expired, any of the registered nurses at EORH who hadn’t been certified prior to the class are working without certification.

“As someone who’s pre-established as a nurse in a role like an emergency department, you are supposed to have those certifications up to date before you can even go on the floor,” Bucklew said.

Several employees said they finally saw a payment entry appear on payroll app Paylocity on Wednesday afternoon, but they still had not received the money in their bank accounts. Some said their paid time off hours appeared to have been reduced although they did not use them.

Protesters said they will continue to demonstrate in front of the hospital until they receive their pay.