Press Release: Nurses Rally & Testify to Oppose Sale of St. Francis to Prime

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 2, 2015

NURSES RALLY & TESTIFY TO OPPOSE SALE OF ST. FRANCIS TO PRIME
CA Attorney General Kamala Harris Holds Public Hearing on Sale of St. Francis Medical Center (SFMC)

WHO:         The registered nurses of St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood
WHAT:       Rally and public hearing
WHEN:      Monday, January 5, 2015
8:00 am – rally
10:00 am – public hearing
WHERE:    Lynwood Bateman Hall, 11331 Ernestine Avenue, Lynwood, CA 90262

Nurses will hold a rally and testify against the sale of SFMC and its parent Daughters of Charity Health Systems to Prime Healthcare Services and demand that vital community services such as trauma, labor and delivery, heart attack and the stroke unit be protected.

“When King-Harbor closed in 2007, St. Francis became the only hospital in the Southern Los Angeles area to serve a population with high numbers of severe trauma patients, such as gunshot victims. A trauma center farther away, such as Long Beach Memorial, could mean the difference between life and death for many patients,” said Scott Byington, RN, President of St. Francis Registered Nurses Association.

“Prime Healthcare has a dismal track record of putting profits over patient health and safety. As patient advocates, it is our obligation to challenge this acquisition at every level,” said Ken Deitz, RN, UNAC/UHCP President.

For the sale to be final, it must first be approved by California Attorney General Kamala Harris. In September 2011, Attorney General Harris denied approval for the sale of Victor Valley Community Hospital to Prime Healthcare, stating the sale would not be in the public interest.

Daughters of Charity Health System’s Southern California hospitals include St. Vincent Medical Center in downtown Los Angeles and St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, where UNAC/UHCP represents 750 registered nurses.

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The St. Francis Registered Nurses Association (SFRNA) is an affiliate of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP).