National Nurses United

CALIFORNIA R egistered nurses at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister, Calif. were deeply grati- fied that Judge Stephen Johnson, of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern Cal- ifornia District of California, has agreed with the nurses represented by California Nurses Association (CNA) and dismissed the San Benito County Health Care Dis- trict's assertion of bankruptcy, stating that the district "failed to show it is insolvent." "This is a great day for the people of San Benito County and those who receive care or work at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital," said Diane Beck, RN. "We knew from day one that this claim of bankruptcy was bogus and intended to bust the unions and scare the community. We feel vindicated that the court was not persuaded by the false claims and distortions presented by the district during this bankruptcy case. Now we will move for- ward in our fight to maintain a full-service acute-care hospital so we can bring the high- est quality of care to our community." In his March 21 ruling, Judge Johnson noted that the financial forecast submitted by the San Benito County Health Care Dis- trict "has substantial differences when compared to the District's audited financial statements and its monthly internal finan- cial statements, and this became a major point of contention during the trial." In con- clusion, the judge found "[T]he District failed to present a coherent theory to show the appropriate number of days of cash on hand for the District. For these reasons, the court does not find the B. Riley Expert Report to be a reliable source of information for determining insolvency and discounts its conclusions accordingly." Since nurses held their first town hall meeting in July 2023, there are now multi- ple letters of intent from various entities looking to partner with Hazel Hawkins. Of these, the San Benito County's letter of intent, is the only one which would keep Hazel Hawkins a public asset. In April, Hazel Hawkins nurses held a rally to call on management to focus on patient care and staffing, instead of directing taxpayer money toward an appeal following their failed bankruptcy case. Nurses strongly believe that selling to a private entity not only puts the health of the community, but also its economic security, at risk. —Rachel Berger Hollister nurses vindicated by court ruling Judge sides with RNs in rejecting hospital bankruptcy CALIFORNIA U niversity of California (UC) registered nurses from across the state held a rally on March 19 in front of the California Depart- ment of Public Health offices in Sacramento, Calif., to highlight their ongo- ing patient safety concerns, including overcrowding in UC emergency depart- ments, patient privacy violations, and CDPH's failure to respond appropriately to these complaints with thorough and trans- parent investigations and reporting. California Nurses Association represents nearly 20,000 UC registered nurses. UC nurses have been sounding the alarm over the ongoing patient safety concerns inside UC medical centers since 2020. RNs have filed dozens of complaints with CDPH, citing safety issues due to overcrowding in the emergency departments, including patients being placed on gurneys in hallways for multi- ple days. Also, two patients are being placed in rooms designed for only one patient. Nurses say these situations are untenable and not only eliminate patient privacy but create issues in patient care and nurse safety. Nurses say CDPH is responsible for investigating complaints and it has a respon- sibility to report back to those who called for the investigation, not just managers. Nurses demand that CDPH investigate all com- plaints, ensure information posted to the department's website is accurate and updated, and hold UC accountable to the conditions set forth by CDPH. "As nurses, we witness firsthand the conse- quences of delayed action by the California Department of Public Health in addressing patient safety concerns," said Nikki Cuadra, RN in the acute-care pediatrics unit at UCLA Medical Center. "It's time for CDPH to step up, prioritize timely processing of complaints, and enforce regulatory measures without delay. Our patients' well-being depends on it." Less than 10 days after the protest, pedi- atric nurses at UCLA Medical Center reported a major victory. Patient rooms that were designed for one pediatric patient would no longer have to squeeze in a second patient. UCLA agreed to limit the doubling of patients in single rooms if all pediatric beds at both UCLA campuses were full and there was a surge in admissions. —Chuleenan Svetvilas UC RNs hold state public health department accountable A P R I L | M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 4 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 N A T I O N A L N U R S E 11

• Cover