Rayleen Gentry, a respiratory therapist in the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, is no stranger to tough decisions. With a severe staffing shortage, she often finds herself prioritizing patient care based on the resources available. Unfortunately, this means that patients sometimes have to wait for hours to receive necessary treatments or go without being seen at all during her shift.
This dire situation, along with countless others, has prompted approximately 1,800 workers at St. Francis and three other Prime Healthcare hospitals in the area to go on a five-day strike starting on October 9th. Armed with picket signs bearing messages like “Bargain in good faith and protect patient safety” and “Our patients deserve safe care,” these employees are marching outside the four facilities to raise awareness about the impact of chronic understaffing on patient care and the failure of management to address the crisis.
The strike began on Monday, October 9, 2023, and registered nurses, healthcare workers, and other staff members are protesting what their unions call “chronically dangerous short staffing and patient care practices, along with unfair labor practices” at Prime Healthcare hospitals. Amid honking motorists showing their support, these healthcare professionals are demanding better conditions and heightened attention to patient well-being.
This strike comes on the heels of a recent three-day, multistate strike by 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers, including 23,000 in Southern California, who also called for increased staffing. The current strike is impacting operations at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, Garden Grove Hospital Medical Center, and Encino Hospital Medical Center. The members of SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, which represent licensed vocational nurses, certified nursing assistants, medical assistants, ER techs, and others, have been without a contract since June and August, with no further bargaining sessions scheduled.
Meanwhile, 600 registered nurses represented by the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals joined in the strike at St. Francis. Their contract expired on August 14th, and labor negotiations are set for October 12th and October 17th.
In response to the strike, Prime spokeswoman Elizabeth Nikels assured the public that the hospitals will remain open with staff available to care for patients despite the staffing shortages. She acknowledged the significant number of healthcare professionals who have left their jobs since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (over 5 million), but she emphasized that Prime has implemented various strategies to recruit and retain skilled professionals.
Prime Healthcare, based in Ontario, acquired St. Francis Medical Center through bankruptcy in 2020. Nurses claim that since then, management has terminated 20% of experienced nurses, cut the pay of those who remained by 12%, and implemented a wage freeze for three years during the height of the pandemic. Despite these grievances, Gentry asserts that management has made little effort to address the staffing crisis. She laments that the solution has been to hire new graduates without sufficient training or resources, leaving them ill-equipped to provide the necessary care.
The consequences of the staffing shortage are significant for newborns and new mothers, as they may have to be transferred to other hospitals due to the lack of available nurses and medical personnel at St. Francis. Gentry acknowledges the difficulty of the situation, expressing her love for her job but also admitting to feeling overworked and burned out.
Prime Healthcare operates healthcare facilities in 14 states across the nation, and the strike highlights the urgent need for improved conditions and increased staffing to ensure optimal patient care.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
