RNs to speak at Antelope Valley Healthcare District Board of Directors meeting July 31 

Registered nurses at Antelope Valley Medical Center (AVMC) in Lancaster, California, will speak at the Antelope Valley Healthcare District (AVHD) Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, July 31, to demand safe staffing and a strong union contract the prioritizes recruitment and retention, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) today.

The RNs are calling on the AVHD Board of Directors to hold hospital administration accountable and finalize a union contract that meets the needs of patients and the community. The nurses reject AVMC administration’s proposal to “float” nurses throughout the hospital because RNs could be assigned to work in areas outside of their specialty where they lack necessary experience, training, or expertise. Nurses have filed multiple assignments despite objection (ADO) forms concerning unsafe floating, which they have addressed in monthly meetings with management.

“Nurses build experience on the job and get training over many years to care for patients with specific health risks and needs,” said Brandi Wechsberg, post-anesthesia care unit RN at AVMC. “Our home units are where we provide the best, specialized care to the area’s highly acute patients. Floating a recovery room nurse to the ER, which could occur under the hospital’s proposal, would not be safe for our patients and it would put our nursing license at risk.”

• Who: Registered nurses from Antelope Valley Medical Center
• What: Speaking out during public comment at AVHD Board of Directors meeting
• When: Wednesday, July 31, 6 p.m., public comment starts around 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Antelope Valley Community Resource Center, 44151 15th St. West, Lancaster, California

“Hospital administration believes a nurse is a nurse is a nurse,” said Melanie Castro, intensive care unit RN at AVMC. “They wrongly believe that our home units mean nothing and that any nurse can take care of any patient at any time. But we are not interchangeable, and we do not want to leave our home units without necessary support. Our profession is very specialized. If we have to care for patients in a unit where we have little experience or skills, that could jeopardize patient care.”

AVMC nurses have been in negotiations for a new contract since March 2024 with little to no movement on key issues. The RNs’ contract expired on May 26, 2024. The RNs held an informational picket in June for safe patient care and safe staffing. A majority of AVMC nurses have pledged to stand in solidarity for a strong union contract.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and nearly 225,000 RNs nationwide.