Registered Nurses and Community Members Will Protest Eroding Patient Care Conditions at Washington Hospital

Registered nurses and concerned community members plan an informational picket at Washington Hospital in Fremont Thursday to raise public awareness of eroding patient care conditions at the hospital.

“Nurses at Washington Hospital are united in support of quality patient care, and that care depends on safe staffing and the retention of experienced RNs,” said Kim Sullivan, RN, ICU. “We are having an informational picket because we are alarmed by the exodus of nurses leaving to work at other nearby hospitals due to the poor work conditions at Washington.”

What: Washington Hospital RNs & Community Members’ Informational Picket
When: Today—Thursday, May 12th (6am-9am)
Where: Washington Hospital- 2000 Mowry Ave, Fremont, Calif.

“When we lose our dedicated and highly skilled nurses our patients suffer. Our patients in the Tri-City area deserve the best patient care and Washington nurses are committed to fighting for that,” said Sullivan. “That’s why we are excited to participate in our informational picket-For Patient Safety and Patient Care!”

Washington Hospital is a not-for-profit district hospital operated by the Washington Hospital Healthcare System. Over the past year nurses have raised concerns about unsafe staffing levels, and problems in the retention of RNs, including the departure of over 100 nurses. Management has refused to seriously address the nurses’ concerns, say nurses, despite the hospital’s mission statement “committing to a culture of patient safety and accountability.”

The 900 registered nurses at Washington Hospital are members of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, the largest organization of RNs in the nation with 90,000 members in California and 186,000 nationwide.