SVMH nurses protest proposed restructuring plan

Wearing red and holding signs, nurses at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital took to the streets Thursday night to protest a new restructuring plan.

“We feel that by this new restructuring plan, really takes nurses away from the bedside,” charge nurse Deborah Thorpe said.

Thorpe, who has been a nurse for 30 years, is marching with 50 others who oppose a proposed nurse restructuring plan that would change the way in which nurses, primarily charge nurses, are distributed throughout the hospital.

“Any baby that ends up sick that comes into the unit the charge nurse is the one that takes over. That’s because everybody else has full assignments,” Thorpe said.

According to hospital leaders, the proposed restructuring plan would improve patient care. They said it would make the move toward more private rooms, minimize the transport of patients, and provide nurses with special training.

“This is a safe hospital. We have extremely high quality scores. I’m a patient here, my family are patients here, I wouldn’t bring my patients here or myself here if it wasn’t,” said Medical Chief of Staff Christina Hinz.

Hinz and Vice Chief of Staff Orlando Rodriquez represent 15 physicians who support the restructuring plan.

“It’s going to have more accountability to make sure that the things that require patient care are looked at closely and monitored,” Rodriquez said.

Both sides are hopeful that they can meet in the middle. Negotiations with the union have been going on since February 2014.