Nurses at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs and Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree walked off the job Thursday as part of a one-day statewide strike against Tenet Healthcare. The California Nurses Association says they’re demanding better staffing levels and working conditions to protect patient safety.
The union represents more than 3,000 nurses across six Tenet Healthcare hospitals in California. It says nurses have been in contract negotiations with the company since February with little progress on key issues, including guaranteed meal and rest breaks, recruitment and retention of experienced nurses and safe staffing standards.
“As a charge nurse in the emergency department, I see firsthand how short staffing directly impacts patient safety,” says Shabana Begum, a registered nurse at Hi-Desert Regional Medical Center. “We’re demanding the resources to provide the care our patients deserve.”
At Desert Regional, nurses also accuse Tenet of jeopardizing the care of newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit by cutting staffing levels below state-mandated ratios. Laura Bruce, who works at the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, said Tenet has refused to continue bargaining unless the union called off its strike.
“Tenant knows that we have enough nurses, and they should be staffing exactly what the patients need, not for profit and not for productivity,” said Bruce. “It should be for the patient and the care that is required.”
Tenet said in a statement that it is “disappointed” in the union’s decision to strike, calling the move “not constructive or necessary.” The company says both hospitals will remain fully operational and staffed with qualified replacement nurses.
“Our focus will now shift to ensuring that patients continue to receive the high-quality care they are accustomed to during the strike,” the company said. “We stand ready to resume good faith negotiations at the strike’s conclusion.”
The strike began at 7 a.m. and is scheduled to continue through early Friday morning. A rally is set to take place this afternoon outside Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.
