Nurses picket Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley

Nurses at Providence St. Mary Medical Center picketed Friday morning, with claims the facility has unsafe staffing levels and poor working conditions.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United say more than 370 registered nurses have left the Apple Valley hospital since 2021 due to chronic short staffing, poor working conditions and administration refusing to address the issues.

The association represents nearly 650 nurses at St. Mary Medical Center.

St. Mary spokesman Matthew Cabe said that through the eight bargaining sessions "significant progress and reached tentative agreements on 26 items."

“We look forward to continuing our engagement with (California Nurses Association/National Nurses United) toward a new contract that is equitable and fair, and positions Providence St. Mary Medical Center to continue providing the best in care for many years to come,” Cabe said.

'Stretched to their limits'

The nurses association alleges that because of the shortage, St. Mary patients in the ER are waiting up to eight hours for care and up to 48 hours for a bed if they are admitted.

They also say nurses are alarmed that the administration has applied for Level IV trauma center status when the hospital can't retain nurses to adequately staff it now.

“St. Mary is continually short staffed and that is jeopardizing patient care,” said Marissa Klein, an ICU RN. “In an effort to accommodate more patients, St. Mary continues to make decisions that spread already-thin resources, even thinner. It is these decisions that put patients’ safety at risk and call on nurses to work in unsafe conditions."

Despite hospital administrators' claim that significant process has been made, nurses said their union contract expired on July 16, and they have been bargaining since May, with little to no movement on key issues.

"It’s time St. Mary steps up and puts patient and nurse safety at the forefront of healthcare,” Klein added.

St. Mary nurses say they have attempted to address their concerns through meetings with the hospital’s chief nursing officer, but their concerns about patient safety, optimal patient care, and safe staffing remain unresolved.

“The community deserves better," said Stacy Teal, ICU RN. "When you come to a hospital run by a large profitable healthcare corporation, you expect top-of-the-line patient care. That is not what you get when you come to St. Mary. Instead, you will find nurses stretched to their limits and inadequate resources."

'Significant progress made'

So far, patient care has not been affected during the informational pickets, as nurses and other employees worked their normal schedules, according to Cabe.

There have been eight bargaining sessions held to date, in which Providence St. Mary and the nurses association have made "significant progress and reached tentative agreements on 26 items," Cabe said.

“We do everything possible to minimize patient wait times in our Emergency Department," he said. "The time from when a patient enters the department and registers to when they are initially seen by a physician is typically around 15 minutes.”

The average length of stay for a patient who is seen and discharged from St. Mary’s Emergency Department is about 180 minutes, Cabe said. Additionally, hospital administration says that Providence St. Mary works to increase employee retention and reduce turnover rates, which benefits patients and the hospital's workforce.

“Our turnover rates for the last year have been consistent, if not better, than the national average for nurses at hospitals in the U.S.,” Cabe said.

He added that St. Mary Medical Center is recognized for its quality care and deep commitment to the High Desert community.

“Our hospital provides excellent nursing care from a staff dedicated to the care of our patients and their loved ones,” Cabe said. “Nurses are included in efforts to continually raise the bar on quality, compassion and innovative care.”

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Nurses picket Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley