National Nurses United

18 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 the contract, in addition to step increases and shift differentials. "We are committed to improving this ever-expanding rural hospital," said Kelley Skinner, RN. "We will not stand for work- place violence and want to make Oroville a safer and more secure hospital for our patients and those who care for them." SAN GABRIEL VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER in august, registered nurses and health care workers at AHMC San Gabriel Valley Medical Center in San Gabriel, Calif. held a candlelight vigil to shine a light on their patient care concerns at the hospital. They say management is requiring them to provide care they are not trained to provide and that chronic understaffing and lack of supplies is jeopardizing patient care and making it difficult to retain and recruit expe- rienced nurses. "Management sends nurses home the moment the patient count drops, even in the emergency room, but you never know who is going to walk in the door," said Veronica Rocha, a registered nurse who has been at San Gabriel Valley Medical Center for 20 years. "In some units, we have seen manage- ment ask nurses to work double shifts—that is 24 hours—when they are short staffed." The nurses and health care workers say they are deeply distressed that the hospital is refusing to work with them to address these issues and instead are harassing and intimidating workers who speak out. SAN JOAQUIN GENERAL HOSPITAL rns at san joaquin General Hospital in French Camp, Calif. held an informational picket in July to fight for safe patient staffing and a fair contract. "In 2015, the county was facing a dangerous nurse staffing crisis," said Kelly Mertz, an RN in the trauma depart- ment. "Through a mutual agreement, we made great strides in improving the recruit- ment and retention ability of the county. But now the county wants to walk back some of those improvements which will only drive nurses away and put patient safety at risk." The RNs urged San Joaquin County management and the Board of Supervisors to focus on cost containment measures that do not threaten patient care and safe staffing levels. Nurses have been negotiating with San Joaquin County management and the Board of Supervisors since November for a new contract. ST. JOSEPH HOSPITAL after multiple recent attacks against registered nurses at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, Calif., RNs gathered in July to demand management approve a nurse- driven workplace violence prevention proposal. The proposal, which if approved would be enshrined in the nurses' upcom- ing contract, echoes a California law mandating that all health care workplaces in the state must have a comprehensive, unit-specific workplace violence prevention plan in place—created with nurse input. At present, RNs say the hospital has an inef- fective plan in place, created with no nurse input and featuring no clear reporting mechanism. The proposal would also call on the hospital to reinstate a workplace accident and injury program, which provides financial relief to nurses who are hurt on the job. Emergency room RN Randee Litten, who was punched in the face by a patient, said it's critical for the hospital to be held accountable with the help of strong contract language. The day after Litten was hit, a fellow ER nurse was punched in the throat. "I want my employer to have my back," said Litten, "and to take every measure to make sure I am not punched in the face by a patient again, and that if I am, I will have every available resource for my recovery." —Staff report From top: Nurses at Mee Memorial Hospital staged a vigil about patient care concerns; RNs at San Joaquin General picketed for safe staffing and a fair contract; Oroville nurses approved a new contract. NEWS BRIEFS

• Cover