Nurses at Marin General Hospital have asked administrators to put implementation of a new computerized physician order entry system on hold until glitches can be worked out and more training provided to nurses and doctors who use it.

Hospitals in Ventura County used billing charges in 2011 that exceeded their actual costs by a range of 339 to 598 percent, according to data from the California Nurses Association.

If the strike plans go through, it would be the largest nurses strike in the state’s history, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United. The strike would see more than 2,000 nurses walk off the job to protest cuts in nursing and support staff in the past two years, which they insist will greatly affect patient care.

Registered nurses form the backbone of an advanced health care system. They spend notoriously long shifts at hard labor, under great risk of work-related injury or disease, while maintaining professional and technical standards as a matter of life and death. Even under these conditions, nurses are also the heart and soul of our hospitals and clinics, providing a human touch and support for the emotional needs of the patients. It's most fitting that we honor their enormous efforts and vital contributions to our collective well-being.