Registered nurses at Chinese Hospital in San Francisco plan to hold an informational picket on March 25, protesting the administration’s response to their concerns about patient safety. The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) announced the action, which follows ongoing contract negotiations that began in September 2024.
The nurses have raised issues such as safe staffing levels and protections for immigrant patients from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). High turnover and inadequate staffing have reportedly affected patient care, with nurses unable to take meal or rest breaks due to insufficient relief staff.
Gloria Lau, a registered nurse in the gastrointestinal department, emphasized the importance of retaining culturally competent staff: “We understand our patients in a way that can’t be taught or replicated because we are connected to this community.”
The protest is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., outside Chinese Hospital at 845 Jackson Street. Concerns have been heightened by federal changes removing safeguards against immigration enforcement actions in hospitals. Gwendolin Kwan, an emergency department nurse, said, “Hospitals should be places of healing, not fear.”
Jeanie Gee, a nurse in the medical-surgical/telemetry unit, highlighted the impact of current conditions on patient care: “When nurses can’t take meals and rest breaks, patient care suffers.”
Chinese Hospital nurses joined the California Nurses Association in 2019 and negotiated their first contract in 2021. They represent approximately 100 nurses at the facility.
Information from this article can be found here.
