Registered nurses at Duarte, Calif.-based City of Hope will hold a silent protest and press conference March 10 to protest the hospital administration’s "refusal" to address patient care and safe-staffing concerns at the cancer treatment center.
The conversion of single-occupancy rooms into double-occupancy rooms, lack of necessary equipment in treating COVID-19 patients with hematologic needs and malfunctioning temperature control in many inpatient rooms are among the nurses' concerns, according to a March 9 National Nurses United news release.
Nurses have met with the administration "numerous times," but leadership has continued to implement policies without their feedback, the release said.
"Management has failed to staff the facility based on the acuity level of the patients," said Melody Hidalgo, RN, a nurse representative who works in the pediatrics unit. "With so many nurses out sick due to Covid and so many unfilled staffing vacancies, we are forced to carry heavier workloads."
City of Hope emailed a statement to Becker's.
"Delivering the highest quality care while ensuring the safety of our patients, nurses and employees is City of Hope’s top priority. Our people are our greatest asset, and we are grateful for all that nurses do to care for and support City of Hope patients and their families," the statement read.
"Through ongoing recruitment and retention efforts, we have maintained nurse-to-patient ratios that are in line with, and often better than, state-mandated COVID-19 guidelines. Our robust safety protocols and supply of personal protective equipment have helped City of Hope successfully navigate the pandemic with zero patient-to-patient transmissions of COVID-19. We have worked closely with the California Department of Public Health, as well as with our own infection control experts, to safely create 17 semi-private rooms and provide more patients with access to the premier treatment and care we offer. While we strongly believe in our thoughtful approach and efforts to support our City of Hope family, we will continue to collaborate with our nurses and discuss how we can best address their concerns."
Editor's note: This piece was updated March 10 to reflect a statement from City of Hope.