Unionized registered nurses at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs will hold a candlelight vigil and food drive next week amid their push for a new contract.
Officials with the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United said the union members are pushing for safer working conditions, including more staffing, assured meal and rest breaks and stepped-up orientation requirements for new hires.
Representatives of Tenet Healthcare Corp., which operates the hospital, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The hospital and the union are in the midst of contract negotiations.
“Nurses come to work every day committed to caring for their patients, but it seems Tenet is more committed to cutting corners and bolstering its bottom line than improving patient care,” Laura Bruce, a registered nurse in the ICU at Desert Regional, said in a statement released by the union. “Tenet can afford to provide its nurses with the necessary resources to improve both the retention of experienced nurses and the quality of care at its hospitals. We stand in solidarity with our most vulnerable patients and call on Tenet to do the right thing and address our concerns to better serve our community.”
The vigil will take place at 6 p.m. Monday near the hospital entrance at 1150 N. Indian Canyon Drive.
The nurses will also conduct a food drive to benefit The Path, an outreach and engagement program for chronically homeless adults. Attendees were encouraged to bring non-perishable food items.
The California Nurses Association represents more than 900 registered nurses at the hospital, according to the union.