Nurses at SVMHS make final push before election

Saturday was the final final push, before election night, for several nurses at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital. The nurses are a part of California Nurses United, and want Monterey County voters to make changes to the hospital’s board.

Saturday morning, the group made calls to residents of Monterey County, encouraging them to get to the polls and vote. They have spent the past 2 months advocating for a new board for SVMHS. They said the candidates whom they are supporting will show more commitment to the community. They told us the current SVMHS board is too focused on big business.

“Nurses want a board that will reinvest the money that they’re making now, back into the community. We want the profits that we’re making to go back for more patient services, more clinics, more diabetic teaching, more healthcare for our community,” said registered nurse with SVMHS, Jeanne Hayashi.

Hayashi said the group meets 3 times a week to make calls to voters, urging them to vote for a board that they said won’t invest as much money into top executive’s salaries.

According to the state controller’s website, SVMHS President and CEO, Pete Delgado, makes around $827,000 a year, compared to Natividad CEO, Gary Gray, who makes around $429,000 a year.

SVMHS released a statement to KION in response to the backlash. It stated that the board works with outside compensation experts to set a CEO pay that is competitive within the market. SVMHS also mentioned the 32 million they have spent in charity care, but some nurses said this is not enough.

“We want the community to vote for the nurse endorsed candidates, because we feel that they will bring diversity and they know what it’s like to be one of those vulnerable populations that need help,” said Hayashi. Come Tuesday night, the nurses will know whether Monterey County residents felt the same way.