A U.S. federal court judge has blocked Berkeley, Calif.-based Alta Bates Summit Medical Center's plans to restructure its nurse staffing model, in response to a request brought by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United.
The hospital planned to cut the hours of some nurses, implement layoffs and cut services, according to the union. The CNA said the hospital's plans will "exacerbate an already worsening crisis of unsafe staffing at Alta Bates Summit."
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Seeborg issued a temporary restraining order on the hospital's plan, finding that the union "has shown that its member nurses are likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief."
Hospital officials were "disappointed" with the temporary restraining order, but remain "confident that the dispute can be resolved and we can [move] forward with the appropriate schedule changes," the hospital said in a statement, according to the Sacramento Business Journal.
The proceedings will continue March 12 in the form of a hearing on a preliminary injunction.
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