California Nurses Association members are condemning a proposal to end births and intensive care services at the 49-bed Santa Paula (Calif.) Hospital on Oct. 15, relocating them to the 272-bed Ventura County Medical Center about 15 miles away.
The members, including nurses and healthcare workers from Ventura County, announced plans to hold an informational picket and address the county board of supervisors on Sept. 10 to oppose the board's approval of the proposal.
In opposing the move, they cited potential serious issues, including a projected increase in ambulance demand, that could arise if laboring mothers or critically ill patients must transfer between hospitals due to local service shutdowns.
"These proposed closures will overwhelm other surrounding area hospitals and put the Santa Clara Valley patients at risk of delayed life-saving care," Mary Ann Chase, RN, said in a Sept. 6 union news release.
In May, Ventura County Health Care Agency leaders presented a budget plan to county officials, citing $16 million in financial losses last fiscal year and a sharp decline in patient volumes, from 502 deliveries in 2010 to 167 in 2023. County officials approved the plan in June, but they still await approval from the California Department of Public Health for the new licensure to close the units. Meanwhile, union members are urging the cuts be rescinded.
A hospital spokesperson told Becker's on Sept. 9 there would be no staff reductions as a result of the closures. "Ventura County Medical Center, which is the designated level 2 trauma center for West County, home to the only pediatric intensive care unit in the county and the first neonatal intensive care unit in the county, will continue offering the highest quality labor and delivery and intensive care services and is equipped to accept additional patients," the spokesperson said.
The CNA represents more than 800 Ventura County healthcare workers, including registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychiatric techs and licensed vocational nurses who work at the Ventura County Medical Center and Santa Paula Hospital, as well as 13 clinics, numerous public health departments and behavioral health clinics. The union has also condemned plans to close the labor and delivery department at Hemet Global Medical Center, a 327-bed facility owned and operated by Corona, Calif.-based KPC Group.