Nurses at 3 California HCA hospitals set for holiday strike as ICU capacity dwindles healthcaredive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from healthcaredive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Nurses plan to strike at 3 SoCal hospitals amid COVID-19 staffing shortages
Nurses plan to strike at 3 SoCal hospitals
LOS ANGELES - Nurses are calling for a strike at three hospitals in Southern California next week amid the COVID-19 surge across the region.
2,500 nurses plan to strike at Los Robles Regional Medical Center, Riverside Community Hospital and West Hills Hospital & Medical Center starting December 24 and ending January 3. The nurses are asking for additional staffing at hospitals and more safeguards. I don t think a strike is the best choice, but sometimes it s the only choice, said Kerry Cavazos, a Registered Nurse for Riverside Community Hospital and the Union President.
Share it
UPDATE: Dec. 17, 2020: The two sides held their last scheduled bargaining session Wednesday night and plan to meet again Thursday to continue discussions, according to an email statement from HCA.
Local groups, including the Hospital Association of Southern California, have expressed concern at the timing of the strike given current COVID-19 surges. I must also be clear that in no way are we questioning any union s right to engage in negotiations, including their right to strike, but now is simply not the time, HASC President George Greene said in a release. All involved must set their differences aside to keep every possible hospital bed open and ready not just for COVID patients, but for every Californian needing care.
A nurse who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Eyewitness News that the situation at Barstow Community Hospital is dire, with several nurses sick with COVID-19 and several others physically and emotionally drained from the pandemic.
Dr. Kim is chairman of the emergency department at Riverside Community Hospital. He said he and other doctors do not work for HCA HealthCare, which is the corporation currently in negotiations with the union.
A document obtained by Eyewitness News shows that if replacement nurses are required, they would be paid $110 per hour, and over $1,500 per shift. But Dr. Kim is unsure whether there would even be enough nurses available to cover the shortage if nurses at Riverside Community Hospital go on strike.
HCA released a statement saying the strike threatens to seriously impact the overburdened healthcare system in Southern California, which is already at bed and ICU capacities due to the nursing shortage and COVID-19 surge. As a result of the union s decision to strike at this challenging time, our hospitals must limit their full scope of services in order to ensure nurses are available to care for patients with the highest needs, the statement reads.
In previous work stoppages at RCH, nurses have taken part in rotating pickets, with some still on the job, while others gather in front of the medical center. There was a walkout over the summer.