Some registered nurses at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center are concerned about a recent procedural change they say is already having negative consequences for patients. Members from SEIU Local 121RN’s, St. Joe’s chapter, spoke during a Burbank City Council meeting last week, saying shift cuts made at the hospital mean there are now fewer nurses to assist patients on each shift.
Diane Pellegrino's husband is in stage 4 renal failure. He usually goes to Rhode Island Hospital, but he was diverted to Miriam Hospital due to the ongoing nurses strike. "He said it was chaos," Pellegrino told Eyewitness News. "It was a little unnerving."
About 50 nurses whose contract with MountainView Hospital has lapsed picketed the medical center Tuesday in northwest Las Vegas, accusing the Tennessee-based corporation that owns the facility of putting patients at risk through inadequate staffing.
Nurses marched in front of Corpus Christi Medical Center-Bay Area Tuesday to demand their bosses do more to find and retain experienced staff. Several dozen nurses — many wearing their scrubs, some on their day off — carried signs that read "Respect Nurses" near an entrance to the hospital.
The nurses' union and the University of Vermont Medical Center are planning to resume negotiations after nurses went on a two-day strike. The two parties were planning to meet Tuesday evening.