Hospital Association: Kaiser Nurses Using Ebola As Rouse For Its Own Causes
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS13/AP) - Thousands of Kaiser Permanente nurses plan to walk off the job in Northern California during a two-day strike as contract negotiations continue, a union official said Monday.
As many as 3,500 nurses in the Sacramento area will be on strike, including some who will be protesting outside Kaiser's South Sacramento branch.
"Kaiser is earning $12 million a day in profits, and we want them to put that money back into patient care," said nurse Diane McClure.
California Nurses Association negotiator Katy Roemer expects the strike set for Tuesday and Wednesday to impact about 21 Kaiser hospitals and 35 clinics.
Kaiser will remain open during the strike, though some elective procedures and routine appointments may be rescheduled, the company said in an email to its members.
The contract talks started in July, with nurses claiming there has been an erosion of patient care standards in Kaiser facilities for months, and that Kaiser has failed to adopt optimal safeguards for Ebola.
California Hospital Association spokeswoman Jan Emerson-Shea said the nurses' union is using the crisis to further its own causes.
"The union is in contact negotiations with the hospitals they are striking. They are using Ebola as a rouse," she said.
The CHA says it's irresponsible for nurses to strike during flu season.
What happens if there is a disruption in staffing at the hospitals? Sandy Sharon, the chief operating officer at the Kaiser in Roseville, says there is a plan in place for strikes such as the one planned this week.
"We work with agencies that work especially to provide traveling nurses during work stoppages such as this," she said.
She says there are licensed nurses that will be hired to fill in temporarily. Also, some nonemergency surgeries have been canceled or postponed.
"We've gotten information out to our members," she said. "We have recordings and as well as notifications and things that gave gone out in the medical offices when people come in."
The association represents and advocates for California hospitals, patients and communities.
Emerson said the association is working closely with federal, state and local agencies to assure the public that universal precautions are in place to screen and identify infectious diseases. There are no confirmed cases of Ebola in California.
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Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
