California Healthline Highlights Recent Hospital News
Nurses at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital and Mercy and Mercy Southwest hospitals in Bakersfield on Wednesday delivered a petition with about 1,000 signatures to Catholic Healthcare West officials urging them to adopt a "master contract," the Bakersfield Californian reports. Most CHW hospitals have the same nursing contract.
Nurses say one concern is the "management-rights" clause, which allows hospital administrators to override provisions of the contract. Nurses also want language included in the contract regarding nurse-to-patient ratios.
CHW officials say the master contract does not suit Bakersfield hospitals because they are in a smaller market. However, Memorial Vice President of Physician and Business Development Ken Keller said the master contract does not address the fewer resources and higher need for nurses that hospitals in the region have.
Contract talks began Thursday (Hagedorn, Bakersfield Californian, 7/26).
Officials on Wednesday announced a new partnership between the Larry King Cardiac Foundation and the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center that will allow about 300 uninsured patients to receive cardiac care they otherwise could not afford, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The foundation will cover the cost for 75 to 100 patients annually for the next three years, including the cost of medical devices and operating room time. Hospital officials estimate the cost of treating 100 patients would total $750,000.
The partnership already has covered the cost of cardiac care for 23 patients.
The Los Angeles-based HMO L.A. Care Health Plan also contributed $100,000 to the partnership (Chung, Los Angeles Times, 7/27).
Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Sonoma County on Wednesday announced a no-cost day of medical care for uninsured and underinsured residents on Aug. 6, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports. The hospital will provide no-cost checkups, immunizations, sports physicals, vision screenings, health education and medical forms for school enrollment.
Advisers will be available to help parents find no-cost or low-cost health insurance for their children (Benfell, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 7/26).
The Coronado Community Development Agency has agreed to match Sharp Coronado Hospital's fundraising efforts up to $10 million for renovations at the facility over the next 10 years, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The agency already has provided $500,000 for the hospital to renovate and expand its emergency department, a project that was completed last year. The Coronado Hospital Foundation has raised $3.7 million toward its $10 million goal for the next decade.
The hospital plans to make technology improvements, upgrade the intensive care and medical-surgical units and build an outpatient center. In addition, the hospital must retrofit the hospital to comply with state seismic safety standards.
Renovations are projected to cost $25 million over 10 years (Domsic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7/24).