Daniel Franquez, Hollywood Community Hospital
Today my SEIU-UHW coworkers and I brought our fight for patient and caregiver safety to the streets in front of our facility, Hollywood Community Hospital. We marched and we chanted for safer staffing ratios–and we even talked to KABC radio. But the real story is all the things that led to today’s protest.
Hollywood Community Hospital often admits patients with behavioral and psychological issues. I’m a licensed vocational nurse and every day I see the dangers that both patients and caregivers face due to the hospital’s refusal to add more staff. One coworker was attacked and struck in the face recently by a patient with a known history of violence because of inadequate support. Patients have fallen out of their beds because caregivers are required to perform duties outside our jobs, such as answering phones or doing clerical tasks. Sometimes a single staff member must try to restrain an out of control patient when at least three staff are needed.
SEIU-UHW members rallying for good jobs and safer staffing at Hollywood Community Hospital.
We’ve shared our concerns about unsafe staffing with our bosses, but nothing happens. Sometimes our only solution when a patient gets out of control is to call the police because we simply don’t have the numbers we need.
But that’s not the end of the story. Today’s action showed me how committed SEIU-UHW members are to fighting for as long as it takes to win better patient care. We’re going back to the bargaining table in early February, and we’re going to keep standing up for caregivers, patients, and this whole community by standing up for more and safer healthcare jobs at Hollywood Community Hospital.