California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of November 5, 2010

California Health Care Facility, Stockton

On Thursday, California Prison Health Care Services and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation broke ground on a new inmate medical building located in the Stockton area, the Sacramento Bee's "State Worker" reports.

When completed, the 1.2 million square-foot facility will have 1,722 beds. The total cost of the construction project is estimated at $906 million, according to CDCR (Ortiz, "State Worker," Sacramento Bee, 11/3).

Riverside Community Hospital

Last week, about 84% of registered nurses at Riverside Community Hospital voted to authorize their leaders to call a strike unless contract negotiations move forward, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.

The nurses have been without a contract since March 31. A spokesperson for the nurses said they are pursuing better working conditions and wage increases to align their salaries with those of nurses at other hospitals. A hospital spokesperson declined to comment about the contract negotiations or the possible strike (Katzanek, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 10/28).

Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital

On Tuesday, Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital officials said they are unlikely to renegotiate with hospital workers over recent buyout offers and layoffs after the Public Employment Relations Board approved workers' decision to change union representation, the Salinas Californian reports.

In May, SVMH workers voted to end their affiliation with Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West and join the National Union of Healthcare Workers. PERB certified the union election results last week. Although workers have requested new negotiations on the buyouts and layoffs, hospital officials said they do not plan to revisit any agreements made before last week's PERB certification (Solana, Salinas Californian, 11/3).

Sutter Health, Sacramento

Tom Gagen, CEO of Sutter Medical Center Sacramento, has released an internal memo outlining how two Sacramento-based Sutter Health hospitals could reduce costs and prepare for the implementation of the federal health reform law, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.

The plan calls for Sutter Memorial Hospital and Sutter General Hospital to:

• Increase productivity;
• Scale back management positions; and
• Reduce costs per discharge by improving clinical outcomes, reducing lengths of stay and improving purchasing processes (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 11/28).

Sutter Health, Tracy

On Oct. 27, officials broke ground on a business center in Tracy that will include a Sutter Health medical complex and a hospital, the Oakland Tribune reports.

The Sutter medical complex and hospital are the first buildings slated for construction under the Gateway Business Park project. Sutter has purchased 37 acres for its medical complex. Construction of the two health care facilities is expected to begin by the end of the year (Avalos, Oakland Tribune, 10/27).

Watsonville Community Hospital

Last Friday, nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital returned to work after holding a 24-hour strike last Tuesday, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reports.

Lisa Harlow, a representative for the California Nurses Association, said she hoped the strike would reinvigorate contract negotiations with hospital management. A Watsonville Community Hospital spokesperson said officials have offered the nurses a raise. The spokesperson declined to further discuss the contract negotiations (Jones, Santa Cruz Sentinel, 10/30).