California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of January 30, 2015
Daughters of Charity Health System
Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers have expressed their support for the contentious sale of six safety-net hospitals operated by the Daughters of Charity Health System to Prime Healthcare Services, according to a union release (Union release, 1/27).
Meanwhile, he Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West has campaigned against the sale (California Healthline, 1/2).
California Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) has until Feb. 20 to decide whether to approve or reject the sale (California Healthline, 1/23).
Inland Valley Medical Center, Wildomar
An employee at Inland Valley Medical Center has been diagnosed with tuberculosis, the AP/Sacramento Bee reports. According to the AP/Sacramento Bee, the individual is expected to make a full recovery.
Officials are working to identify patients and staff at IVMC and Rancho Springs Medical Center who might have been exposed to the disease after coming into contact with the worker. Riverside County Health Officer Cameron Kaiser said the risk of the disease spreading is low (AP/Sacramento Bee, 1/29).
Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System
The Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System and the California Nurses Association have reached a fact-finding agreement intended to help resolve a 10-month long contract negotiation impasse, the Salinas Californian reports.
The contract negotiations have stalled over financial issues, such as wage scales and health benefits, and the hospital's plans to restructure. The review will be conducted by a neutral third party appointed by the California Public Employment Relations Board or by one mutually chosen by the health system and CNA. After the review, the third party will recommend non-binding settlement terms (Taylor, Salinas Californian, 1/21).
San Francisco General Hospital
On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved nearly $3 million to settle a claim filed by the family of a woman who was found dead in a stairwell of San Francisco General Hospital, the AP/St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
The patient was being treated for a bladder infection when she disappeared from her hospital room and was later found dead. The city will pay $2.94 million, while the University of California -- whose physicians and nurses were involved in Spalding's care -- will pay $59,000 (AP/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1/27).
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