The union, which does not represent the nurse aides, said the informational picket “is to let the public know that the hospital’s drastic cuts in nursing and nurses’ aide staff are eroding the quality of patient care.”
According to the union, nurse aide staff has been cut by half on some shifts, and the hospital is moving toward a staff reconfiguration that substitutes “nurse shift managers” for charge nurses.
The California Nurses Association/ National Nurses United said this change means replacing seasoned nurses who provide and help other nurses in direct patient care with managers who don’t provide direct patient care.
The hospital confirmed that it had been notified about the informational picket and countered the union’s claims.
“The care and safety of our patients is our top priority, and while we are disappointed in this [picketing] decision, we remain committed to continuing to work with them [RNs] to resolve any outstanding issues,” Dignity Health told Becker’s Hospital Review.
“There have not been any layoffs of registered nurses or clinical care partners (nurse aides) at Sierra Nevada and we continue to recruit registered nurses to fill open positions,” a spokesperson added.
According to nurses, the hospital has laid off 11 clinical care partners.
The informational picket is scheduled from 6 to 10:30 a.m. Dec. 13. The hospital will remain open and operate as normal during the picketing.
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