FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 9, 2022
CAMARILLO, Calif. –St. John’s Hospital employees and allies will rally THURSDAY at 11 a.m., February 10 at Dignity Health – St. John’s Hospital Camarillo to expose the hospital’s threat to workers and patients after employees were asked to remove their masks and reuse personal protective equipment (PPE) while working in COVID patients’ rooms. Workers also say the hospital is severely understaffed, affecting the quality of patient care and leading to employee burnout.
“We put our lives on the line caring for our patients, but Dignity Health doesn’t take our safety seriously,” said Blanca Torres De Reyes, a certified nursing assistant at St. John’s Hospital Camarillo. “My manager told me to takeoff my PPE and mask while I was in a COVID patient’s room and reuse it the next day. It’s incredibly unsafe and puts us and our patients at greater risk of infection. Our patients deserve better than this – we need management to provide enough staff and PPE so that we can provide safe, quality care.”
Workers at Dignity Health – St. John’s Hospital Camarillo are asking their employer to ensure safe staffing levels by hiring more caregivers, incentivize workers to take on extra shifts, and to provide adequate supplies of personal protective equipment.
CommonSpirit/Dignity Health made $2.7 billion in profits in the last half of 2020, has received $1.3 billion in federal pandemic relief funds, pays the company CEO over $11 million a year, and pays 28 executives over $1 million a year.
WHAT: Healthcare workers wearing their uniforms will distribute leaflets to passersby and hold signs in protest of understaffing and unsafe working conditions at Dignity Health – St. John’s Hospital Camarillo.
WHEN: THURSDAY 11 a.m., February 10th
WHERE: St. John’s Hospital Camarillo
2309 Antonio Ave, Camarillo, California 93010
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Media contact: Renée Saldaña, [email protected]
SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is a healthcare justice union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers, patients, and healthcare activists united to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality care for all Californians, provided by valued and respected healthcare workers. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.
About SEIU Healthcare: More than one million healthcare workers across hospitals, in-home care, and in nursing homes are united in SEIU, the nation’s largest union of healthcare workers. SEIU is an organization of nearly 2 million members united by a belief in the dignity and worth of workers and the services they provide. SEIU is dedicated to improving the lives of workers, families, and communities to create a more just and humane society.