16,000 Nurses Plan to Strike Oct. 30 Over H1N1

OAKLAND, Calif.
Published: October 19, 2009

As many as 16,000 registered nurses from three large Catholic hospital chains in California and Nevada will join a one-day strike Oct. 30, as RNs protest what they believe is the poor readiness by many hospitals to confront the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) announced Oct. 19.

The strike will affect hospitals across California from San Bernardino and Long Beach in the south to Eureka and Redding in the north, and include major facilities in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Bakersfield, Stockton, and the Central Coast. Additionally, nurses will picket major facilities in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada.

Central to the nurses’ walkout is ongoing concern about the hospital chains’ safety precautions for patients, their families, nurses, and other healthcare employees in the wake of the escalating H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic.

In particular, the RNs say, many hospitals continue to do a poor job at isolating patients with H1N1 symptoms and other steps to limit contagion, or provide sufficient fit-tested N95 respirators and other protective gear for healthcare workers and patients.

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“Our hospital isn’t being proactive in preparing for the expected onslaught of H1N1 infected patients,” said Kathy Dennis, RN at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento.  “We can’t get enough N95 masks, patients are not being properly isolated, and RNs are not being kept informed of the latest guidelines.  Last time I worked, it took me more than four hours to get masks when we ran out.  We must put the proper precautions in place now before flu seasons peaks or we will all be in serious trouble.”

RNs will be participating in the strike or picketing at the following facilities:

Catholic Healthcare West

California

  • Arroyo Grande Community Hospital
  • Bakersfield Memorial Hospital
  • Bruceville Terrace – Sacramento
  • California Hospital Medical Center – Los Angeles
  • Community Hospital of San Bernardino
  • Dominican Hospital – Santa Cruz
  • French Hospital Medical Center – San Luis Obispo
  • Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center
  • Marian Medical Center – Santa Maria
  • Mercy General Hospital – Sacramento
  • Mercy Hospital – Bakersfield
  • Mercy Hospital of Folsom
  • Mercy Medical Center – Merced
  • Mercy Medical Center Redding
  • Mercy Medical Center – Mt. Shasta
  • Mercy San Juan Medical Center – Carmichael
  • Mercy Southwest Hospital – Bakersfield
  • Methodist Hospital – Sacramento
  • Sacramento Foundation Clinics
  • Saint Francis Memorial Hospital – San Francisco
  • St. Bernardine Medical Center – San Bernardino
  • St. Joseph’s Behavioral Health Center – Stockton
  • St. Joseph’s Medical Center – Stockton
  • St. Mary Medical Center – Long Beach
  • St. Mary’s Medical Center – San Francisco
  • Sequoia Hospital – Redwood City
  • Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital – Grass Valley
  • Woodland Healthcare

Nevada

  • Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center – Reno
  • St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Rose de Lima – Henderson
  • St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena – Henderson
  • St. Rose Dominican Hospital, San Martin – Las Vegas
  • Daughters of Charity Health System
  • O’Connor Hospital – San Jose
  • Saint Louise Regional Hospital – Gilroy
  • Seton Medical Center – Daly City
  • St. Vincent Medical Center – Los Angeles
  • St. Joseph Health System
  • Petaluma Valley Hospital
  • St. Joseph Hospital – Eureka
  • St. Mary Medical Center – Apple Valley

To read the full press release, click here.

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