Kaiser Permanente is opening its third hospital in San Diego County Wednesday, but nurses and their union are raising concerns about staffing at Kaiser's other two hospitals.
"It’s morally distressing as registered nurses to not be able to do our job properly and not take care of people the way we want to take care of them," said Meagan Davison, a Kaiser nurse and union leader with United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP). The union represents around 3,000 nurses in San Diego County.
Davison said some staff have transferred from Kaiser’s Zion and San Diego Medical Centers up to San Marcos. She said — in short-term — that means less nurses and other care workers in those hospitals.
"There is a direct correlation between safety outcomes and the amount of staff on the floor," Davison said.
Davison said, she and others have been told travel nurses are being brought in to help, but said it's a temporary fix.
"We need the proper resources — the proper staff — to take care of the community in San Diego and that’s what we’re asking Kaiser to do," Davison said. "Sit down with us and hear our suggestions for the long and short-term and come up with a plan together."
In a statement, Kaiser said their top priority is patient and staff safety. Officials pushed back against the idea of being understaffed.
"All Kaiser Permanente medical centers in San Diego — including Zion, San Diego, and San Marcos are fully staffed and meet or exceed California state mandated nurse staffing ratios," said Jennifer Dailard, spokesperson for Kaiser San Diego. "Our new San Marcos Medical Center created more than 1,000 permanent positions which were fulfilled via an extensive six-month recruitment process."
Davison said UNAC/UHCP has negotiated better staffing ratios with Kaiser leadership that are not being adhered to.
"There is some days that we are within ratios — many days we are not," she said. "We share patient experience stories with upper administration month after month ... the treatment they're lacking (is) due to not having enough people on the floor."
Davison is not the only one who said she feels the staffing pinch. Kevin Soriano is a registered nurse at Kaiser’s San Diego Medical Center. He said he sees the shortages and wants to speak up for his patients.
"We’re not just asking to have all these staff or all these people just to work in the hospital to make our jobs easier — it’s not that," Soriano said. "At the end of the day, it’s about providing the adequate personnel to take care of the patients, to make sure they’re satisfied and happy with the care they’re receiving — but the baseline is patient safety."
Davison said patient care is why she and others are speaking out. She hopes Kaiser management will hear them.
"There's many alternatives with nursing alternatives across the county, and there's a reason our nurses stay where we are with Kaiser," Davison said. "We want to make this the best place to work and we want this to be the best place for our patients."
Kaiser officials said they continue to invest in nurses and said they have one of health care's lowest turnover rates for staff.
