California Healthline Highlights Recent News on Nurse Staffing Issues
Several newspapers recently published articles on nurse staffing issues. Summaries appear below.
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AP/San Jose Mercury News: About 2,000 nurses, teachers, firefighters, police officers and members of public employee unions on Tuesday protested against several reforms proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) at a rally outside a San Francisco hotel where the governor held a fund-raiser, the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports. A plane overhead carried a banner that read, "Arnold: California is not for sale." Protesters also carried signs that read, "Arnold can't be bought, big business already owns him." Deborah Burger, president of the California Nurses Association, said, "He picked the wrong group. We don't have a lot of money, but we have connections within the community." Nurses have protested against Schwarzenegger since November 2004 when he attempted to delay regulations on nurse staffing in hospitals. Schwarzenegger spokesperson Rob Stutzman said that protesters at the rally did not represent average Californian residents (AP/San Jose Mercury News, 4/6).
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Modesto Bee: At least two hospitals in the Modesto area have confirmed that they are in compliance with new nurse staffing regulations that require hospitals to have one nurse per five patients at all times, the Bee reports. Surgical Hospital in Stanislaus has one nurse per three patients, according to hospital CEO Mike Lipomi. Officials at Doctors Hospital of Manteca said that the hospital has one nurse per five patients (Modesto Bee, 4/6).
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San Diego Union-Tribune: Registered nurses at Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas likely will hold a one-day strike on April 14 to protest stalled contract negations with the hospital, the Union-Tribune reports. The California Nurses Association, which represents 250 Encinitas nurses, last week informed the hospital of plans to hold the strike. Encinitas in February issued a final contract offer in negotiations with CNA, and no additional meetings are scheduled (Skidmore, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4/5).
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San Francisco Chronicle: Santa Clara County supervisors on Tuesday issued a 6% pay raise for county nurses -- who have sought an 8% pay raise and increased evening and night shift pay -- in an effort to "break a labor impasse," the Chronicle reports. In November 2004, the county contract with about 1,000 nurses who work at the county hospital and county health clinics and jails expired, and contract negotiations with the Registered Nurses Professional Association, which represents the nurses, stalled in February. County Board of Supervisors Chair Liz Kniss said that she hopes the one-year raise will end labor issues with the nurses and help attract high-quality physicians. However, RNPA spokesperson Dustin DeRollo said the pay raise will not address staffing issues because county nurses will remain the lowest paid among those in the area (Gathright, San Francisco Chronicle, 4/6).
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San Luis Obispo Tribune: The final temporary nurse contract at French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo expired on Friday, as the "facility returns to an all-permanent staff," the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports. French officials are "celebrating the change," and experts said that the move could lead to "an increased level of patient care," the Tribune reports. French Chief Nursing Executive Linda Riggle called the move a "win" for the physicians and patients at the hospital (Welton/Griffy, San Luis Obispo Tribune, 4/4).
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San Luis Obispo Tribune: Twin Cities Community Hospital has hired a temporary staff to comply with new state nurse staffing regulations, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports. Rick Lyons, Twin Cities CEO, said, "We've made up the difference in large part by contracting with hospitals outside of the state. We've hired about 60% of those required on a permanent basis, but about 40% are contract" (Welton/Griffy, San Luis Obispo Tribune, 4/5).
Schwarzenegger "is right in arguing that hospitals may not be able to comply with the law mandating a ratio of one nurse for every five patients; however, the governor has no right to suspend a law passed by the Legislature and signed" by former Gov. Gray Davis (D) in 1999, a Contra Costa Times editorial states. According to the editorial, although some hospital officials maintain that they cannot afford the cost of hiring additional nurses to comply with the state nurse staffing regulations, Kaiser Permanente facilities have "had no difficulty" because they "made a commitment years ago to comply with the law early, while other hospitals were lagging and complaining of the costs and nursing shortages." Schwarzenegger should allow the nurse staffing regulations to stand because the "higher ratios do improve the quality of care in hospitals," the editorial states. In addition, "Schwarzenegger should make peace with the nurses union and stop fighting the ratio law, with the caveat that no hospital should be forced to close because of a shortage of nurses," according to the editorial. The editorial concludes, "It is not too late for Schwarzenegger to alter his strategy" (Contra Costa Times, 4/7).
CPR's "KXJZ News" on Thursday reported on the nursing shortage in California. The segment includes comments from Jan Emerson, spokesperson for the California Hospital Association (Hensley, "KXJZ News," CPR, 4/7.) The complete segment is available online. In addition, NPR's "Day to Day" on Wednesday reported on the San Francisco rally. The segment includes comments from protestors (Varney, "Day to Day," NPR, 4/6). The complete segment in available online in RealPlayer.
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.