RNs and caregivers say Palomar Health must prioritize recruitment and retention in union contracts to address chronic short-staffing

Palomar Health registered nurses and caregivers will highlight their patient care concerns at the Board of Directors meeting Monday, Aug. 12, announced California Nurses Association (CNA) and the Caregivers and Healthcare Employees Union (CHEU). They will highlight how Palomar Health’s failure to recruit and retain health care workers is exacerbating the existing staffing crisis at Palomar’s facilities, where countless nurses and caregivers face moral distress because they cannot provide safe and timely care. 

“In the midst of a severe staffing crisis, it’s unacceptable that Palomar Health management is refusing to prioritize solutions that would improve recruitment and retention of nursing and caregiving staff,” said Grace Vicente, a certified nursing assistant (CNA) in the medical-surgical unit at Palomar Medical Center Poway and a CHEU chief shop steward. “The best way to ensure positive patient outcomes is to improve recruitment and retention, so that there is safe staffing in all units and at all times.”

Between January 2022 and May 2024, half of registered nurses (RNs) and more than half of caregivers, including CNAs, left Palomar Health. Registered nurses and caregivers are demanding strong union contracts to address their recruitment and retention concerns. 

“We hope the Palomar Health Board of Directors will act on our call to invest in our staff, support safe and healthy work environments, and provide job security through strong union contracts,” said Susan Adams, RN in the labor and delivery unit at Palomar Medical Center Escondido and a CNA chief nurse representative. “If we can stop the trend of staff leaving the hospital, Palomar will be in a better position to actually fulfill its mission to ‘heal, comfort, and promote health’ in our communities.”

What: Palomar Health RNs and caregivers speaking out for patient safety at Palomar Healthcare District Board meeting
When: Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Palomar Medical Center Escondido, 1st Floor Conference Center, 2185 Citracado Parkway, Escondido, CA 92029

The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing shows that, in California and across the country, there is no nurse “shortage.” In fact, in the Golden State, there are more than 166,000 RNs with active licenses who are not working as nurses in the state. Nationwide, there are more than a million registered nurses with active licenses who are choosing not to work at the bedside because of the hospital industry’s unsafe working conditions.

CNA and CHEU represent close to 2,800 registered nurses and caregivers at Palomar Healthcare District. The registered nurses–represented by CNA–and caregivers–represented by CHEU–are bargaining their contracts jointly. Both contracts were extended to expire on August 31, 2024, following an initial expiration on July 31, 2024. Palomar Health registered nurses and caregivers work at facilities in Escondido, Poway, and surrounding clinics.

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. Caregivers and Healthcare Employees Union (CHEU) is an affiliate of California Nurses Association.