Registered nurses at Hemet Valley Medical Center in Hemet, Ca. Thursday voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement with the hospital that they say will help efforts to retain experienced RNs and recruit new nurses at the Inland Valley hospital.

 A settlement accord between the RNs and Hemet management was reached Tuesday. The pact was approved Thursday by the nurses in a membership meeting.

 “We have taken steps with our contract settlement to retain our dedicated RNs at Hemet Valley Medial Center. Thanks to our RNs who believed that together we could accomplish our goals,” said nurse negotiator Eden Faustino RN.  “We will continue to put patients first.”

 The three-year agreement covers 250 RNs who are represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United.

 It provides for a 2 percent across the board wage increase for all RNs with additional improvements to be negotiated for future years of the pact.

 It also includes pension improvements, and strengthens the Professional Practice Committee in which direct care RNs, elected by their peers, meet with management to discuss patient care problems and other issues.

 All of those provisions should help stem what had been a growing problem with high turnover at the hospital in which experienced RNs were leaving to work in other facilities at a cost to care for community residents.