Ventura County nurses and health care workers demand Board of Supervisors stop proposed ICU and obstetrics unit closures at Santa Paula Hospital

Members of CNA to address Board of Supervisors and hold informational picket

Nurses and health care workers from Ventura County will hold an informational picket and address the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 10, 2024, to oppose the board's approval to close the Santa Paula Hospital intensive care unit (ICU) and obstetrics units, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU). Staff from Santa Paula Hospital in Santa Paula, Calif., will be joined by staff from Ventura County Medical Center, in Ventura, Calif., in opposition to the move.

Nurses are keenly aware that serious problems can arise and when laboring mothers or critically ill patients are forced to transfer from one hospital to another because of service shutdowns at their local facility. Furthermore, they note that, currently, without the need for these transfers, patients are often already forced to wait long periods for an ambulance.

"Right now, when we are dealing with emergency situations, we have seen people wait (name times of waits) for ambulances to take them to Ventura County Medical Center from Santa Paula," said Mary Ann Chase, a registered nurse at Santa Paula Hospital and a CNA union member. "This problem can only get worse if these units end up closing. This is unacceptable when we are talking about people's lives and well-being. These proposed closures will overwhelm other surrounding area hospitals and put the Santa Clara Valley patients at risk of delayed life-saving care."

Who:Nurses and healthcare workers from Santa Paula Hospital and Ventura County Medical Center
What:Informational picket and address before Board of Supervisors against unit closures at Santa Paula Hospital
When and Where: Tuesday, Sept.10
Picket: 7 to 8 a.m., at the corner of Telephone Rd. and Victoria Ave. near the Ventura County Government Center at 800 S. Victoria Ave. Ventura, CA
Board of Supervisors Meeting: 9 a.m., Hall of Administration building at the Ventura County Government Center, entrance is off of Telephone Rd.

"As patient advocates, we take our duty to serve the public seriously, and we expect the same from hospital administration and especially our elected officials," said Jon Serano, a registered nurse at Santa Paula Hospital and a member of CNA. "The unit closures could be the beginning of the end for our hospital, and as nurses and union members, we will not stand for that. If these units close, we anticipate an overall drop in morale and increase in unsafe working conditions that will negatively impact the recruitment and retention of experienced nurses and health care professionals. We know that experienced nurses are critical to providing the highest quality of care that our patients deserve. Our community deserves a full-service facility with no cuts to staffing or services. Cuts to patient care services at Santa Paula Hospital will have negative, long-lasting impacts for our communities."

CNA represents over 800 Ventura County health care workers, including RNs, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psych techs, and licensed vocational nurses who work at two hospitals, including the Ventura County Medical Center and Santa Paula Hospital, as well as 13 clinics, numerous public health departments, and behavioral health clinics.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and nearly 225,000 RNs nationwide.