Marlborough, Mass--In the wake of ill-advised staffing cuts in the emergency department and unsafe patient assignments on other hospital units, the registered nurses of Marlborough Hospital have decided to appeal directly to the facility’s CEO for support in addressing what nurses characterize as a growing patient safety crisis. On Thursday, a delegation of nurses will hand deliver a petition signed by more than 85 percent of the nurses at the hospital, to CEO Steven Roach.

RNs warn of major public health crisis if hospital and its busy ER close. Registered nurses from Doctors San Pablo Medical Center (DMC) and Contra Costa Regional Medical Center will hold media availabilities at 10:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the facility, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United announced this evening upon hearing the news that Measure C, the parcel tax initiative that would have provided the funds to keep the hospital open, failed to pass. The RNs will attend today’s 4:00 p.m. West County District Healthcare Board meeting and demand that the closure be addressed and put on the agenda.

Oakland, CA – At a rally and press conference today, Kaiser nurses and consumer advocates exposed the fact that Kaiser Permanente has accumulated a reserve that is $21.7 billion – 1626 percent – more than required by the state, while cutting patient care services and raising premiums on consumers. The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, which has 85,000 California members, also announced its endorsement of a measure that will appear on this November’s ballot to regulate health insurance rates in California, just as the state already regulates auto insurance rates. The initiative can force refunds to consumers based on such excessive amounts held in reserve.

Registered nurses today applauded the introduction of a bill that would improve patient care, ensure equity among federal health care workers, and enable the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to recruit and retain a strong health care work force to serve the nation’s veterans.

NAPA-Queen of the Valley (QVH) registered nurses in Napa, will hold an informational picket, Tuesday, May 7 in an effort to raise patient care standards to the same level as area hospitals, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, (CNA/NNU), who represents the 440 nurses announced today. The RNs won an election to join CNA/NNU last May and began contract negotiations in September. The nurses say patient safety at the hospital is being compromised by management’s refusal to follow California’s lifesaving safe nurse-to-patient ratio law, with patients not receiving appropriate coverage when nurses take their meals and breaks.

Condemn Care Cuts, Premium Hikes; Endorse Rate Regulation Initiative. Kaiser Permanente nurses, joined by consumer advocates, will hold a press conference Tuesday, May 6 to expose that Kaiser Permanente has held $21.7 billion more than the state required amount in reserve (1626% more than required) and to protest contributions Kaiser has made to an initiative to rein in excessive premium hikes. All those funds, say Kaiser RNs, are diverted from the bedside at a time when Kaiser has been cutting patient care services.

Candlelight vigil Wednesday May 7. Mt. Desert Island Hospital (MDI) registered nurses will be holding a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening to protest ongoing cuts to patient safety and services in their facility and throughout the state, announced the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses United. MSNA/NNU represents the RNs. “The recent failure to expand Medicaid and pass health care as a human right legislation in Maine, has resulted in far fewer resources for patients in our state’s hospitals, said Terrylyn Bradbury, an RN who works in the emergency department at Millinocket Regional Hospital.