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NewsBriefs:2 9/2/09 4:26 PM Page 8 Kaiser RNs Win Fight to Save After-Hours Clinic, For Now After Kaiser Permanente RNs staged a spirited rally July 14 in front of Kaiser's Fremont, Calif. medical center to protest proposed cutbacks to its clinics, administrators backed off of plans to severely curtail evening and weekend clinic hours. RNs had warned that closing the urgent care clinics in the evenings would have been a hardship for working families who often cannot leave work to attend daytime appointments, thereby forcing them into seeking treatment from already overwhelmed and more expensive emergency rooms. The RNs were particularly outraged that Kaiser would attempt these cuts at a time 8 REGISTERED NURSE when it is posting hefty profits: Kaiser reported net income of $1.1 billion for the first half of 2009, almost double what it reported for the same period last year, according to multiple business news articles. Though RNs are encouraged by their victory on the Fremont clinic hours, and also with clinics in the nearby city of Hayward, Kaiser is still trying to scale back services throughout the northern California region. "We asked Kaiser to do the right thing for Fremont and Hayward," said Robert Marth, a critical care RN at Kaiser Hayward. "But it's not right for them to still be doing this at W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G other locations in the region. I'll be recommending that we stage protests like this at every Kaiser hospital, from Sacramento to San Jose, for the sake of patients and working people." In August, RNs working at Kaiser clinics in Stockton likewise protested proposed cuts and asked patients to sign petitions opposing service reductions. Kaiser RNs said they appreciated the support of numerous government officials during their struggle to preserve clinic services, including state Sen. Ellen Corbett and Fremont Councilmember Bob Wieckowski. —STAFF REPORT J U LY | A U G U S T 2 0 0 9