"As they brace for more system-wide financial cuts to come, nurses at Santa Clara County's four public hospitals are sounding the alarm about chronic staffing shortages they say are already impacting patient care. "When you push the call light and somebody doesn't respond in time, there's a chance (a patient) might take a risk," Allan Kamara, the vice president of the Registered Nurses Professional Association, said, explaining that patients who aren't supposed to get out of bed without assistance could fall and hurt themselves."
"The union, which represents 4,500 nurses in the county-owned Santa Clara Valley Healthcare system, is holding a "Day of Action" on Tuesday, calling on the county to end its several years-long hiring freeze. The request comes as the county is preparing for deep fiscal hardship due to President Donald Trump's signature budget bill, which slashes $1 trillion from the federal Medicaid program over the next decade."
"Susie York, the union's president who has worked as a medical-surgical nurse at Valley Med for the last nine years, fears what a combination of understaffing and changes to Medicaid will bring to the hospital. New work requirements that determine eligibility for Medicaid will go into effect next December - potentially costing several million California residents their health care coverage."
Nurses at Santa Clara County's four public hospitals report chronic staffing shortages that are already affecting patient care, including delayed responses to call lights and risks of falls. The Registered Nurses Professional Association represents 4,500 county nurses and is organizing a Day of Action to demand an end to a multi-year hiring freeze. Santa Clara Valley Healthcare receives more than 50% of revenues from Medi-Cal and faces an estimated $223 million loss this fiscal year after federal Medicaid reductions, prompting $200 million in planned cost savings. New Medicaid work requirements could cause millions to lose coverage and increase ER use, further straining staff. Union leaders warn conditions may become catastrophic in the coming year.
Read at The Mercury News
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