National Nurses United

16 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G J U LY | A U G U S T | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 CALIFORNIA W ith tremendous sadness, the National Nurses United community lost a family of nurse members and dedi- cated union leaders when they died Sept. 2 in a catastrophic fire onboard a scuba diving vessel off the Southern California coast. Among the victims were Fernisa Sison, 57, a nurse practitioner at Kaiser Perma- nente in Stockton; her husband, Michael Quitasol, 62, a registered nurse at Kaiser in Modesto and Manteca; and three adult chil- dren: Evan Quitasol, 37, a registered nurse at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Stockton; Angela Quitasol, a middle school teacher in Stockton; and Nicole Quitasol, a restaurant worker in Southern California. The nurses were all members of Califor- nia Nurses Association (CNA). As union leaders, Michael and Evan Quitasol, along with Sison, played important roles in their respective facilities. Michael was a longtime union activist who served as a member of his hospitals' professional practice commit- tees and was also a nurse representative. Evan Quitasol was the chief nurse represen- tative at St. Joseph's Medical Center. Sison was a member of the professional practice committee at Kaiser Stockton. "We are devastated at the loss of these five members of the CNA family," said Bonnie Castillo, RN, executive director of National Nurses United and California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organ- izing Committee. "They were a great example of a family that carried on the proud traditions of nursing and union activism. This is a family that touched the lives of thousands in their community, both with their activism and with the care they provided to their patients." "This was a family to be praised," said Ruth Somera, a registered nurse at Kaiser Manteca. "They were very pro-patients, pro- nurses, pro-union. They were very strong advocates for doing right. It is a tremendous loss for us; they were leaders." They were described as a close-knit family. They enjoyed one another's company and would often travel and scuba dive together, said Tina Reaves, the chief nurse representative at Kaiser Manteca. Evan and Michael would travel to CNA conventions together, Reaves added. "Michael was like a gentle giant, in the sense that he was quiet, but when he needed to speak up, you needed to listen because he had something to say," recalled Somera. "He knew our contracts, he knew the facilities that he worked in, he could handle manage- ment and administration." Somera said the elder Quitasol was a meticulous nurse. "When he inserted PICC lines, you never had to worry if they were going to fail or not. He was a go-to person and you would always get an honest and direct answer." Both Somera and Reaves said Quitasol loved nursing and was very knowledgeable. "He loved to share his knowledge, he would teach classes, he was going to teach at [our next] skills day," said Reaves. At St. Joseph's Medical Center, Evan Quitasol was remembered as fearless, and a tireless advocate for change. Michael, who used to work at St. Joseph's Medical Center, would bring Evan to the hospital for union events when she was a child. She would walk the strike lines and learned the ins and outs of organizing. "She was a very vibrant, bold person. She was always one of the first people to jump up and jump in," said Marisa Kautz, a regis- tered nurse at St. Joseph's Medical Center. "She was one of those go-getters who could definitely bring people in and get them on NNU loses family of nurse leaders in boat fire TOP: Michael Quitasol, RN, and Fernisa Sison, NP LEFT: Evan Quitasol, RN (center) with her sisters. OPPOSITE: Fernisa Sison, NP and Michael Quitasol, RN with RN son Dominic Selga (front). NEWS BRIEFS

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