RNs at UCSF, St. Mary’s, Saint Francis, and Children’s Hospital of Oakland concerned about potential service cuts and consolidation that will hurt vulnerable patients

Registered nurses from San Francisco hospitals on Monday, March 18 will hold a rally and then provide testimony at a San Francisco Board of Supervisors hearing to demand that UCSF Medical Center answer major questions about its plans for maintaining or cutting key services and access to care at two hospitals it has recently acquired, St. Mary’s Medical Center and Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) today. These two hospitals are critical institutions within the city’s health care infrastructure and currently provide a significant portion of needed services to the city’s most vulnerable patients, including unhoused, psychiatric, rehab, intensive care unit, burn, emergency services, and low-income patients. CNA represents nurses at all these facilities.   

“So far UCSF has refused to reply to our requests for information regarding the acquisition of Saint Francis and St. Mary’s,” said Amy Preble, RN and chief nurse representative at St. Mary’s.  “We're very concerned about the lack of transparency regarding the safety and care of our patients, coworkers, and community. UCSF needs to step up and take accountability for this acquisition. They need to talk to us and hear us.”

Who: RNs from UCSF Medical Center, St. Mary’s Medical Center, Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland
What: Rally and nurse testimony at supervisors hearing
When: Monday, March 18, 2024. Rally at 9 a.m., supervisors committee hearing at 10 a.m.
Where: San Francisco City Hall. Rally on east steps, hearing inside. 1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Pl, San Francisco, CA

UCSF Medical Center acquired Children’s Hospital Oakland in 2014, and nurses at both facilities say many services at the Oakland facility have, disturbingly, been eliminated or consolidated across the Bay Area, making care much less accessible for Children’s Hospital patients, especially those from lower-income families who rely on public insurance and public transportation. 

“We are here to hold UCSF accountable,” said Shelley Pepper, a UCSF registered nurse. “We know that all of our facilities are key players in the entire San Francisco hospital network to serve the people of San Francisco and the entire Bay Area. We cannot let UCSF wreak havoc on that in pursuit of market share, power, and revenue. We want UC to know that we are watching and we will fight back.”

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