Registered Nurses Plan Strike Dec. 9th and 10th at

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and San Bernardino County Health Clinics  

County Must Improve Patient Care Conditions or Face Continued 

Loss of Experienced Nursing Staff to Region's Private Hospitals, Nurses Say

Registered nurses who work throughout San Bernardino County, including 900 that work at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center and 330 that work in other parts of the County's health system plan a strike on Dec. 9th and 10th. 

Nurses have been in negotiations with the County for 14 months and have been working without a contract since June. Of key concern to the nurses is the County's unwillingness to improve working conditions. This has resulted in the loss of experienced RNs to other area hospitals. 

In the last year, over 77 RNs in specialized units have left the County for jobs at other hospitals in the region. The County lost 36 ICU nurses and 21 nurses in the ER. Currently 90% of Surgical ICU (SICU) RNs are new staff and in Labor and Delivery 16 RNs are new hires. 

The turnover rate for County nurses is also high because recently graduated nurses, who find a first job with the County, move on to the better conditions at other area hospitals, after attaining some work experience at County.  

The County's lack of focus on retention and recruitment of nursing staff results in turnover and attrition that costs the County millions of dollars each year. The County spends approximately $50,000 to train a new hire and budgeted $15 million dollars for temporary registered nursing staff between 2013 and 2015. 

The high rates of attrition and turnover, and the reliance on inexperienced and temporary nursing staff also jeopardizes the quality of patient care, nurses say. 

"If the County continues on the present course, more and more experienced RNs will feel no choice but to leave ARMC and conditions here will erode further," said Rhonda Watts, RN, ICU. "We want the County to stop squandering money on temporary labor and invest instead in retaining and recruiting seasoned competent nursing staff that will provide our patients with the quality care they deserve," said Watts who has worked at ARMC for 27 years.

"It is our professional responsibility as RNS to speak out when we see the county spending healthcare dollars unwisely and jeopardizing patient care," said Lieu Vo, an ICU RN who has worked at ARMC for 6 1/2 years. "We are striking to let management know we won't back down from our commitment to providing the best care for our patients."

San Bernardino County operates numerous clinics throughout the county as well as ARMC, a full-service, acute care hospital in Colton, Ca. It has 456 beds, a 24-hour Emergency Department, a Level II Trauma Center, three Family Health Centers and a Burn Center.