By Mary O’KEEFE

On Friday nurses from USC Verdugo Hill Hospital were carrying signs supporting the California Nurses Association.

“We want to focus on the retention of nurses,” said Ruby Carpo, chief nurse representative. She added what they were concerned about was how not having enough nurses affected the overall safety of nurses and patients. 

“We are worried about workplace violence,” she added. 

Nurses have to deal with a lot of issues while caring for patients, including those patients who become violent. Having fewer nurses in a specific area can lead to a single nurse dealing with a problem that would require many more nurses. 

They are asking for a competitive wage to help increase staffing. 

In addition, Carpo said, nurses are being moved from one area to another, which is referred to as “floating,” to help relieve the lack of staffing.  

“Instead of hiring nurses, they’re floated from one specialty care unit to other units,” she said. 

A nurse in the Cath Lab [cardiac catheterization laboratory] said she has a specific set of skills but she is “floated” to other areas in which she is not trained. 

“And there are only three Cath Lab nurses,” she added. 

Carpo added that another issue is the increased costs of health care insurance that has been proposed; however, the nurses said the issue is more about staffing. 

“We want [the hospital] to put more money into staffing,” she said. 

CVW reached out to USC-VHH and received this statement:

“Keck Medicine of USC is engaged in active bargaining with staff represented by the California Nurses Association (CNA) at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital and is preparing to start negotiations for a new contract with the union at Keck Medical Center of USC.

  “Pickets are common during contract negotiations and we fully respect our caregivers’ right to participate. During the picket, our hospitals will be fully staffed and patients and their loved ones can count on receiving the world-class care they have come to expect.

  “We are committed to negotiating in good faith. We look forward to having collaborative discussions with CNA to reach agreements that are fair, provide competitive pay and benefits, and reflect our dedication and support of our staff.”