BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Employees of Dignity Health have been protesting across California, fighting for additional staff to be hired at their hospitals. The first day of the protest in Bakersfield began outside Bakersfield Memorial Hospital on Monday.
Dignity employees, including overnight shift leader Priscilla Arias, say this issue has been going on for years.
"We are here asking Dignity to put patient safety first," said Arias.
Protesters say Dignity's staffing issues threatens their ability to take care of patients sufficiently.
"Patient safety is important. This is the community that we live in and that we work in. This is the hospital we would bring our children, our loved ones, to be seen," said Arias.
Three years ago this month, in March of 2020, the World Health Organization declared the covid-19 pandemic, and health care systems across the globe were stretched thin trying to meet the demands of the outbreak.
Now, hospital staff say they still haven't been able to recover from the impacts of the pandemic.
"We are severely short staffed day in, day out," said Arias. "Throughout the pandemic until today, we still continue to be short staffed. Our nurses continue to be out of ratio. Our CNAs running back and forth just to take care of these patients. Every department in this hospital is short staffed, and every department affects the patient care and the quality of care that they receive."
Arias supervises overnight hospital staff as graveyard shift lead, and says every department deals with the impacts of understaffing.
One example of the impact of short-staffing is Anita Valenzuela. Valenzuela started working as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital 8 years ago. She says the ratio of patients to staff was 10 to 1 when she first started.
Now, according to Valenzuela, the ratio ranges anywhere from 10 patients per nurse to 30 patients per nurse.
"Patients aren't getting the best care they should be getting," said Valenzuela, adding that she hopes the protest gives their team what they need to best serve the community.
"If it was your mother, your father, you would want them to get the best care," said Valenzuela.
Tom Parker, a spokesperson with the union representing the employees, says burnout from the pandemic has contributed to the lack of staff.
"They've essentially gone through years of trauma and that takes a toll on them," said Parker.
But according to Parker, that's not the only problem.
"A lot of healthcare corporations are trying to do more with less, and so they're hiring fewer people, leaving positions unfilled and expecting workers to sort of pick up the slack," said Parker.
Parker says new health care workers are coming into the industry, seeing the intense workload and insufficient pay, and deciding against a job in the field, especially considering the rising cost of living due to inflation. According to Parker, this chronic understaffing results in some hospitals turning patients away, creating a greater risk for individuals living in rural communities.
"And if you're in a rural area and you have to drive 45 minutes to the next hospital, it could mean life or death, or it simply could mean you could get sicker, and then that makes it… it's tougher to treat and it's kind of a snowball effect," said Parker.
According to Parker, Dignity has been investing in their executive staff, and even purchased a Super Bowl commercial this year. He says he hopes the company will invest the same levels of funding into their frontline workers.
In a statement to 23ABC, Ken Keller, CEO of Bakersfield Memorial Health, says:
Dignity Health Bakersfield Memorial Hospital is deeply committed to the well-being of our staff and our patients. We recognize and respect the rights of our employees to participate in today's informational picket. This event is related to ongoing contract negotiations between Dignity Health and SEIU-UHW. We want our community to know that providing safe, high-quality care is always our top priority. Hospital operations are not impacted by today's event and all services continue to be available.
Organizers on behalf of the protesters have arranged protests statewide, and they say they will go back to the bargaining table next week.
Arias says she hopes Dignity Health acts quickly to prioritize patient safety.
"We are hoping that Dignity puts their money where their mouth is and shows human kindness at home," said Arias. "It starts with us first."
Dignity Health staff will assemble again on Tuesday to continue protesting for proper staffing.
