Nurses Overwhelmingly Approve Contracts for 8000 RNs at 17 HCA Hospitals in Five States

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

The pacts affect RNs at ten HCA-affiliated hospitals in Florida, four in Texas, and one each in Missouri, Kansas, and Nevada. HCA is the largest for-profit hospital chain in the United States.

The agreements make substantial strides for working conditions for RNs, patient care standards and the quality of care at the 17 facilities as well as noteworthy economic gains...

... Highlights of the agreements include:

• Increased enforcement of staffing grids (matrices) that define staffing for safe patient care, including a requirement that RNs scheduled to work cannot be cancelled if it causes the hospital to be out of compliance with their staffing standards.

• Pilot program to create break relief RNs enabling nurses to take meal and rest breaks.

• Eight hours of rest for any RN after working a call shift before she can be called back to work to reduce nurse fatigue that can put nurses and patients at risk.

• Improved health and safety language to strengthen protection for nurses and patients from workplace violence, the spread of infectious diseases, as well as patient handling procedures to reduce the risk of nurse injuries and patient falls and accidents.

• Improved union and workplace rights for nurses, including a strengthened grievance procedure for disputes, rights to return to work after a leave of absence, and access to union representatives during orientation for new hires...

Nurses Overwhelmingly Approve Contracts for 8000 RNs at 17 HCA-Affiliated Hospitals in Five States - True Country AM1570 FM100.9 - WOKC