The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United today called on Sutter corporation to immediately end the unsafe lockout of its regularly scheduled nurses following media confirmation of a patient death while under the care of a strike replacement RN, as well as reports of other serious problems involving strike replacement RNs.
[…] Late Saturday night, the San Francisco Chronicle and Contra Costa Times both reported the death of a female patient which, according to the Chronicle, was due to “what the hospital described as a ‘medical error’ made while she was under the care of a replacement nurse.” The nurse, reported the Contra Costa Times, “came to the hospital from another state” to work during the one day strike which the medical center turned into a 5-day lockout of its nurses.Sutter RNs held the one-day strike on Thursday to protest demands by Sutter executives for some 200 contract concessions, a number of which would erode the ability of nurses to advocate for safer patient care, especially on the critical issue of safe staffing.
But when RNs sought to return to work Friday morning, they were instead barred from the hospital by hospital officials and armed security guards. Quoting hospital and police officials, the Contra Costa Times stated that the out of state nurse committed the error “while administering a dosage of medication to a cancer patient leading to her death early Saturday morning.” Yet, said CNA, at least one experienced, veteran oncology nurse who tried to report to work Friday was among those turned away at Summit.
Patient death
