Hazel Hawkins nurses to have informational picketing on Monday

HOLLISTER, Calif. (KION-TV)- Registered nurses at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital will be having an informational picketing on Monday afternoon.

This comes as nurses held a community Town Hall meeting on July 6 to discuss how the San Benito Health Care District filing for bankruptcy has led to the deterioration of patient care.

The California Nurses Association said that some staff members have left due to the administration's alleged threat to invalidate the negotiated union contract and concerns for the Hospital's future.

The California Nurses Association does represent 120 nurses at Hazel Hawkins. The informational picketing will take place in front of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital from noon to 3 p.m.

Hazel Hopkins Hospital did share a statement to KION regarding Monday's picketing.

First, we would like to thank all of our staff, doctors and nurses who continues to dedicate themselves to providing care for our community. Like every rural healthcare district in California today, there continues to be challenges relating to attracting and retaining staff.  This, however,  is not a result of our decision to file for Chapter 9.  That decision was taken to better shore up the finances of the District so that we could remain open and caring for patients in San Benito County. While the nurses conduct their informational picketing on Monday, we stand ready and willing to meet at the bargaining table to work to a solution that will not only benefit their members, but our patients and the community as well.  As a District, we remain committed to delivering quality care for our community.

As for where we are in the process for finding a partner or buyer, at the moment, we are in serious conversations that are progressing.

Frankie Gallagher, Director of Marketing/Public Relations
Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital

In Nov. 2022, the San Benito Health Care District which is the hospital's governing board declared a fiscal emergency which allowed the district to file for Chapter 9 Bankruptcy. The Health Care District did officially file for Chapter 9 Bankruptcy back on May 17.

Since then, the Health Care District has been looking for a potential partner or buyer of the hospital to keep it open. The San Benito County Board of Supervisors did sign an NDA agreement back on May 23 to try and locate a buyer for the hospital as well.

On June 8, The Board of Supervisors did try and bring on Salinas Valley Health as a possible partner but Hazel Hopkins did say that Salinas Valley Health respectfully declined to be part of the process.