Hemet RNs successfully delay obstetrics closure

By Michelle Morris

National Nurse magazine - Oct | Nov | Dec 2024 Issue

Hemet Global Medical Center (HGMC) registered nurses in Hemet, Calif., successfully prevented the planned Oct. 31, 2024 closure of the hospital’s obstetrics department. The nurses, members of California Nurses Association, an affiliate of National Nurses United, had previously warned that the hospital’s remaining staff would have neither the capacity nor the specialized training to adequately care for patients coming in for perinatal services.

Following an active RN pressure campaign that involved California’s Department of Public Health (CDPH), HGMC’s obstetrics department will remain open through at least Jan. 31, 2025. HGMC is owned by KPC Health, which owns and operates multiple facilities across Southern California, including four acute-care hospitals with nearly 800 beds.

“Hemet nurses fought hard to protect our patients from KPC Health’s irresponsible and hasty decision to cut obstetrics services,” said Ginny Packham, RN in the hospital’s obstetrics unit. “Now, the obstetrics unit will remain open and fully functional during the unpredictable holiday season, when we see an increased volume of patients coming in with the flu, coronavirus, and other respiratory illnesses. If HGMC does not reverse its decision to fully close the obstetrics unit, then at least nurses and community members will have until Jan. 31 of next year to prepare for this scenario. We are so relieved to have won this valuable time.”

HGMC RNs immediately raised concerns about patient care, especially the impact on underserved communities, following the hospital’s announcement on Aug. 27 that it would close the obstetrics unit. As HGMC RNs began alerting the community, they also took their concerns directly to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), including the failure of KPC Health to comply with regulatory and statutory requirements related to the elimination of acute-care services.

The day following RNs’ informational picket on Oct. 17 – which received widespread coverage in Los Angeles and Riverside counties – CDPH notified CNA that it agreed with the union’s assessment. In a letter to CNA dated Oct. 18, CDPH said it would inform KPC Health that it “may only suspend up to 50 percent of its perinatal beds or alternatively submit a request to eliminate this service and comply with the statutory notice requirements,” which includes 90-day notice and detailed public posting following the requirements listed in California’s Health and Safety Code Sec. 1255.25(a)(1).

“While KPC Health was insisting that Hemet’s moms give birth in the emergency room and actively flouting the law, they also announced the development of a luxury hotel,” said Sharon Glisson, RN in the intensive care unit (ICU), referring to the KPC Group’s new hotel in Inglewood, Calif. “You don’t need a clearer sign that KPC Health and its owners put profits over patient care. This only strengthened our resolve to hold our ground and keep fighting through the 11th hour for patients who would be abandoned by management’s decision.”

Despite CDPH’s warnings, KPC Health pushed forward with the closure, continuing to force RNs to sign exit paperwork. It was only until Oct. 30, when nurses organized a “march on the boss” to demand the hospital cease and desist the closure of obstetrics services, that KPC Health announced HGMC’s obstetrics services would remain open until Jan. 31, 2025 and rescinded layoff notices for obstetrics RNs.

“Hemet nurses successfully showed KPC Health that they are not above the law,” said Glisson. “We will use this victory to strengthen our ongoing efforts to hold KPC Health accountable to higher standards – not just in Hemet but in all the facilities across Southern California that it owns and operates.”

According to its website, KPC Health has amassed $10 billion in assets, including hospitals, clinics, schools, commercial real estate properties, and agricultural research centers.

Michelle Morris is a communications specialist at National Nurses United.