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Nurses union to protest at Kaiser, Sutter facilities
VACAVILLE — Kaiser Permanente’s Vacaville and Vallejo medical centers will be two of the 21 Kaiser facilities from Santa Rosa to Fresno where registered nurses will picket Wednesday to protest what the California Nurses Association says is persistently inadequate nurse staffing in emergency care and other hospital areas, as well as patients being turned away from needed care.
Picketing at the hospitals, including Kaiser medical centers in San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and other Northern and Central California facilities, will be from 2 to 6 p.m.
The association, which represents 17,000 Kaiser nurses, says short staffing is a chronic problem in Kaiser emergency rooms, mental health services and other hospital areas. The nurses also charge that Kaiser is too often sending patients home from the hospital prematurely and expecting family members to care for patients who should still be in the hospital.
“We are extremely disappointed that union leadership would even consider this response to our outreach,” said Gay Westfall, senior vice president, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan Northern California, in a prepared statement. ”Their claims have little to do with facts, and are a tremendous disservice to the outstanding work being done each and every day by our nurses, physicians and staff on behalf of our members and patients.”
This is the first of two actions by registered nurses this holiday season.
The nurses union also plans to have a one-day strike Dec. 24 at San Francisco Bay Area Sutter facilities and two San Jose hospitals to protect hospital demands in nurses’ and patient care standards. This includes Sutter Solano in Vallejo.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or ithompson@dailyrepublic.net. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ithompsondr.
Ian Thompson
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