Call on SCHCC to Protect Nurses and Patients from Violence and Comply with Safe Patient Care Laws

Registered nurses at Southern California Hospital at Culver City (SCHCC) will rally in front of the hospital Tuesday morning to protest eroding patient care conditions announced the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United today.

What: Nurses Rally to Protect and Improve Patient Care at SCHCC
When: Tuesday Feb. 23, 2016 - 6 a.m. – 9 a.m.  Speakers at 7:30 a.m.
Where: SCHCC/Southern California Hospital Culver City
             3828 Delmas Terrace, Culver City CA

RNs seek to improve patient care at the hospital as part of contract negotiations that began in December 2015 through a number of patient and nurse safety proposals. These include proposals to bring the hospital into compliance with nurse-to-patient ratios and communicable disease protection. The nurses have also proposed safe patient handling practices that include adequate lift equipment and trained staff. According to RNs, the hospital regularly refuses to adhere to the CA safe patient handling regulations adopted last year to enforce AB 1136, the Hospital Patient and Health Care Worker Injury Protection Act.

“We recently put forth a proposal that would bring the hospital into compliance with the law by providing much needed equipment & adequate personnel for moving patients safely,” said Valerie Selden, RN, Telemetry Unit. "Safe patient handling and lifting is absolutely critical to safe patient care and that's why we are advocating strongly for improvements in this area,” said Selden who has worked at the hospital for twenty-five years.

Nurses have also made proposals for comprehensive workplace violence prevention. A large percentage of the general patient population of SCHCC requires acute care as well as treatment for psychiatric issues. The facility has a sizeable psychiatric unit and a significant section of the ER is devoted to psychiatric holds. Currently, there is no workplace violence prevention plan and nurses are often subject to assault.

The for-profit company, Prospect Medical Holdings took over majority ownership of SCHCC, formerly named Brotman Medical Center, in 2009. Prospect Medical Holdings contracts with for-profit Alta Health to manage the daily operation of the hospital. Since Alta Health began managing the hospital, “the high volume of discharges and admissions in the Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) has impacted nursing care,” said Lorna Lentejas, an RN who has worked in the unit for a number of years.

In recent negotiations, the hospital administration not only rejected the RNs safe patient care proposals, they put forth proposals that would further jeopardize patient care, nurses say.

“As nurses, safe, quality, compassionate patient care is our number one priority. Currently the administration is undermining our ability to provide that care,” said Daysha Polk, an RN in the Medical/Surgical Unit. “Their demand that we work mandatory overtime, for example, is unsafe to patients and nurses. It is a recipe for fatigue, which leads to medication and other errors. That’s why we’re rallying. We want the public to know that we’re advocating for high quality care and we welcome their support.”