Nurses at King City, Calif.-based Mee Memorial healthcare system hosted a vigil to raise awareness about their patient safety concerns and show support for the 43 employees who were laid off this summer, according to the King City Rustler.
In July, hospital officials announced that Mee Memorial would lay off 43 of its 353 employees. The system said the layoffs did not affect nurses, physicians or physician assistants and were "to reduce financial vulnerabilities and keep essential services in the community."
Outside of the layoffs, Mee Memorial Healthcare has made efforts to reduce the kinds of services provided. This includes discontinuing staffing for the intensive care unit and eliminating orthopedic services.
But Porfirio Montoya, a registered nurse in the medical-surgical unit, told the Rustler the laid-off workers, including support staff, such as medical interpreters, obstetric technicians and engineers, are crucial to ensuring the best patient care possible, since they help take vital signs and meet other patient needs.
Nurses have also reportedly called for greater transparency about hospital changes and contend that short-staffing is an issue within the health system.
Mee Memorial CEO Michael Hutchinson reiterated to the Rustler that the health system's hospital is "solvent" and that the layoffs were a "one-time-only occurrence." He also told the newspaper that community forums are scheduled to provide information to employees and the community about changes at the health system.
Read the full Rustler report here.