Nurses To Stage Massive Protest At County Vote To Save San Leandro Hospital - Tuesday

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 09 Jun 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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Registered nurses, healthcare workers and community leaders will hold a major protest rally Tuesday at noon, outside of the Alameda County Administration building. The action, one of many occurring over the last two months, is being held on the day that the board is scheduled to vote on Sutter Health's plan to rebuild Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley as a luxury hospital with all private rooms and 48 fewer beds. It is likely that approval will result in closure of the 122-bed San Leandro Hospital, also owned and operated by Sutter.

The supervisors were forced to reschedule the vote twice in the last month as a result of intense public pressure. Alameda County supervisors voted last month to purchase San Leandro Hospital and turn it into an acute rehabilitation facility. If carried out, this would end acute care and emergency room services at San Leandro Hospital. It is estimated that 17,000 of the 27,000 San Leandro emergency room patients seen annually will end up at Highland Hospital, due to the severity of their conditions, and their inadequate healthcare coverage.

The California Nurses Association filed formal objections with the county challenging Sutter Health's plan and is urging a vote against the project's environmental impact review which will be decided by the board Tuesday.

WHAT: NURSE PROTEST
WHEN: Tuesday, June 9, 2009
12:00 noon
WHERE: Alameda County Administration Building
1221 Oak Street, Oakland

The objections assert the environmental impact report is deceptive and misleading by only considering the impact of its efforts to downsize Eden Medical Center, and not considering the related impacts that will occur if it is able to also end San Leandro's 50-year history as an acute-care facility. Sutter hopes to shut down San Leandro Hospital by September 30, 2009.

The nurses are supportive of an offer made to the Eden Township District Board last week by Prime Healthcare Services to lease and run San Leandro Hospital as an acute-care facility, if Sutter chooses to abandon the community, or if another hospital operator does not step forward.

Prime has also committed to make at least $20 million in capital improvements to the facility in the first year of the lease. Prime Healthcare Services currently owns and operates 13 acute-care hospitals in California. The Eden Township Board will be holding three public meetings, June 8, 11, and 15 to get community input into the future of the hospital.

Source
California Nurses Association