The California Nurses Association announced their plans to demonstrate for safer patient care in a recent press release. The rally is scheduled at 3:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 17, at the City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte, CA. City of Hope Medical Center registered nurses (RNs) alongside public officials, religious leaders, labor leaders, and other hospital employees will rally at the Duarte facility to bring attention to lowered patient care standards at the cancer center.
RNs from the prestigious center have been in the process of bargaining over patient care issues for months. In the last few years, the responsibilities for COH nurses have broadened and increased, while patients are increasingly sicker, requiring more nursing attention. RNs must now not only treat these patients and complete normal paperwork, but have been charged with additional non-direct care responsibilities and a gauntlet of complex new technologies.
While complaints are numerous, the rally intends to focus on three major patient care issues. First, RNs want designated meal and break relief nurses. Currently, RNs from six units work 12 ½ hour shifts, which often prevent them from taking meal or rest breaks. Not only does this take a serious toll on employees, but clearly negatively impacts patient care at a basic level.
The second issue being addressed at the rally is safe staffing. COH RNs are asking the medical center to maintain optimal nurse-to-patient staffing ratios which have been downgraded by management. Nurses are now required to care for more patients who are more acutely ill. Studies have time and again shown the danger of this practice.
The nurses are also protesting a management proposal that would assign non-RN work to RNs, more qualified nurses who have important training and skills that should be utilized properly.
The last bargaining session was on April 30, and the next will occur on June 25.