Unions to target hospital staffing shortages, safety in rallies across ... - VC Star

Nurses, aides and other hospital employees will wave picket signs and shout slogans in a series of rallies this week protesting staffing shortages they say compromise patient safety.

On Tuesday, nurses from SEIU Local 121RN will rally in front of St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard and then march to a local office of the California Department of Public Health. They'll demand more state enforcement of staffing ratios that mandate how many patients can be assigned to one nurse.

In a separate event Tuesday night, members of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United union will hold a vigil outside the Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura. They're calling for the county to address staffing and to increase pay and benefits as a way of retaining nurses and other workers.

On Wednesday, nursing assistants, respiratory therapists and other frontline workers from the SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West will picket in front of Los Robles Regional Medical Center. They want more hires by the Thousand Oaks hospital and sister facilities run by HCA Healthcare, the nation's largest for-profit hospital operator.

What's the issue?

All actions revolve around shortages experienced by hospitals across the nation worsened by a pandemic that brought more patients and convinced some burnt-out hospital employees to leave their jobs.

"One aide could have 30 patients on the floor," said Xochitl Gonzalez, SEIU-UHW steward and a patient care technician at Los Robles. She said Los Robles and other HCA hospitals aren't doing enough to fill shortages that directly affect patients.

"You're going to be waiting a lot longer for care," she said.

Nurses in SEIU 121RN point at a law that went into effect just before the COVID-19 pandemic. SB 227 enables the California Department of Public Health to fine hospitals $15,000 for their first violation of nurse-staffing ratios with $30,000 for additional violations. The pandemic, and concerns about delivering care for floods of COVID patients, triggered temporary state waivers of ratios and their enforcement.

The waivers have long expired but nurses contend SB 227 still isn't being enforced as it should be. They said the end of California's COVID state of emergency on Tuesday — the same day as the Oxnard march — should push the state to take more action.

"They have done nothing," said Diana Banks, a Los Robles nurse and a member of SEIU 121RN. "We expect the CDPH to start taking an interest and citing the hospitals for the things they've been getting away with."

State public health officials did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

What do hospitals say?

The healthcare worker shortage is real. A study by the UC San Francisco Research Center in August 2021 estimated California needed nearly 41,000 nurses and projected the shortage will remain until 2026.

"We are facing the same challenges that every other health system is experiencing," said Christina Zicklin, spokeswoman for St. John's hospitals in Oxnard and Camarillo. She said the hospitals are partnering with nursing and trade schools to boost staffing. She said the facilities comply with staffing ratios.

Officials at Los Robles responded to allegations from both unions by citing expiring contracts. SEIU-UHW's contract with Los Robles and four other HCA hospitals expires in March. Nurses have not begun bargaining but their contract with Los Robles expires in September.

"Our staffing is safe, appropriate and in line with other community hospitals," Los Robles officials said in a written statement.

The vigil outside the Ventura County Medical Center is linked to negotiations as well. The county's contract with California Nurses Association/National Nurses United expires on March 17.

Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: To see more stories like this, subscribe here.