For: September 10, 2019 CONTACT: Terry Carter, (805) 312-0024
NURSES SOUND THE ALARM: Patients suffer when hospitals ignore the law.
As SB 227 heads to Governor’s desk, RNs take “Midnight Ride to Sacramento” to urge support for this important patient safety bill.
WHAT: RNs will gather at their Union hall in Pasadena to board buses bound for Sacramento. They’ll ride through the night and arrive early the next morning. Once there, they’ll hold a press conference on the capitol steps to express their strong support of SB 227 (Leyva)—the “Stop Repeat Offender Hospitals” bill. They will leave hundreds of nursing shoes on the steps to urge leaders in Sacramento to walk a day in their shoes. They will urge Governor Newsom to sign the bill into law.
WHY: Senator Leyva introduced SB 227 in February in response to nurses calling for an end to California hospitals’ unsafe staffing practices. California leads the nation in regulations that establish safe nurse-to-patient ratios. The problem is that these regulations have gone two decades without any enforcement mechanism to curb rampant repeat offenses. SB 227 will mandate unannounced inspections of hospitals with a special focus on adherence to California’s nurse-to-patient ratios as regulated by Title 22. This bill will also levy penalties on hospitals that continue to ignore these regulations.
REPORTERS ARE INVITED TO BOARD THE BUS AND RIDE ALONG WITH A BUSFUL OF NURSES—ALL WITH PERSONAL EXAMPLES OF UNSAFE STAFFING VIOLATIONS AT THEIR HOSPITALS |
WHO: SEIU Registered Nurses
WHERE: SEIU Local 121RN 1040 Lincoln Ave. Pasadena, CA 91103
WHEN: September 10, 2019 Nurses gather at 9:00 p.m. Buses depart at 11:00 p.m.
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SEIU Local 121RN represents registered nurses and other healthcare professionals in California. This member-led organization is committed to supporting optimum working conditions that allow nurses to provide quality patient care and safety.