Nurses say cutting staff and reducing clinic hours will jeopardize patient care

Registered nurses at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, a CommonSpirit hospital in Grass Valley, California, will hold a rally on Aug. 6, 2026, to protest the hospital’s planned layoffs of seven nurses who work at the hospital. Nurses are also extremely concerned that hospital management is proposing to cut the patient care hours of the Ambulatory Treatment Center. Nurses say these changes will limit patient access, jeopardize care, and delay treatment.

“Our community has limited access to healthcare services, and our outpatient infusion center provides essential infusion therapies, including antibiotics, blood products, hydration, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and other time-sensitive treatments,” said Kaylie Spittler, a registered nurse in the Ambulatory Treatment Center. “Some of our patients require daily infusions, which is why our clinic allows for patients to get care outside of regular work hours, Monday through Friday. As nurses, we do not agree with the hospital’s plan to reduce our clinic’s operating hours. Shortening our hours will limit access to care, delay medically necessary treatments, and reduce our ability to provide the longer infusion therapies many of our patients depend on. In a rural community, these changes will create unnecessary barriers to care and negatively impact the patients we serve.”

Who:    Nurses from Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital

What:   Rally to protest layoffs and cutting Ambulatory Treatment Center hours 

When:  Thursday, Aug. 6, 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Where: Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, 155 Glasson Way, Grass Valley, California

CommonSpirit sent out formal notices in June announcing their intention to lay off five nurses from the Family Birth Center and two nurses from the Ambulatory Treatment Center. CommonSpirit is also proposing to cut the Ambulatory Treatment Center hours, which currently can be extended past 5 p.m. during the week and opened to patients on the weekend.

Nurses are calling on CommonSpirit to maintain the flexible hours of operation at the Ambulatory Treatment Center and to rescind the layoffs.

“The hospital's plan to reduce nursing staff in the Family Birth Center puts safe, high-quality patient care at risk,” said Lizary Jones, a registered nurse who works in the Family Birth Center. “Labor and delivery emergencies can happen without warning, and having enough experienced nurses is critical when every second matters. Fewer nurses mean slower response times, less one-on-one patient care, and fewer resources during complications. As nurses in a community hospital, we are honored to care for our friends, neighbors, and families during life's most important moments. Our community trusts us to provide safe, compassionate care, and we have a responsibility to speak up when decisions threaten that standard. Our goal is to ensure every family who comes through our doors continues to receive the exceptional care they deserve.”

Nurses know that CommonSpirit has the resources to address the hospital’s needs. According to its tax filings, from 2020 to 2024, the top 10 CommonSpirit executives were paid in excess of $310.5 million. Its CEO took home a compensation package worth more than $14 million for fiscal year 2025.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) represents 250 nurses at Sierra Nevada Medical Center. The hospital is part of CommonSpirit Health, where CNA/NNOC represents more than 17,000 nurses at 33 facilities across the country. CommonSpirit has issued layoff notices to nurses and support staff at several facilities. 

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 more than 225,000 RNs nationwide.