BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Nurses working for Dignity Health at two local hospitals, Mercy Hospital Downtown on Truxtun Avenue, and Mercy Southwest on Old River Road, formed picket lines in front of both hospitals Wednesday, but they're not threatening to walk off the job.
The nurses at the Southwest picket called it an informational protest to let the public know about what they call a chronic nursing staff shortage at both facilities. The nurses say these staffing shortages ultimately impact the quality of patient care.
Represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, the nurses say hospital administrators aren't doing enough to recruit more nurses and retain current staff. This shortage, say the nurses, have put the hospitals in violation of California's nurse-to-patient ratio law.
Dakota Bollinger-Jose, who has worked as a nurse at Mercy Southwest for 6 and a half years, says she's seen the nursing shortage spike over the last six months.
"So our medical surgical nurses, who should be 1 nurse to 5 patients, are taking up to 6, 7, 8 patients at a time, and that's not safe for our patients here in the community," said Bollinger-Jose. "Our nurses are not getting breaks, they're not getting lunches, they're not getting bathroom breaks."
B.J. Predum, President and CEO of Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield, released a statement in response to the nurses' claims. The statement reads, in part:
As a result of the pandemic, we are facing the same challenges that every other health system is experiencing; a shortage of clinical and non-clinical staff members. We are doing what we can to address this challenge, including expanding innovative partnerships with nursing school across the state to recruit and grow our workforce. We want our community to know that providing safe, high-quality care is always our top priority.
