Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital is responding to allegations of unsafe working conditions from the nurses’ union. Among other things, the California Nurses Association cites management’s failure to fulfill the commitment they made last fall to hire more nurses and ancillary staff. It says management expects nurses to take on the workload of aides and, at the same time, attend to patients’ medical needs. Hospital President and CEO, Doctor Scott Neeley, says they consistently rank high in patient safety outcomes, compared to similar hospitals, according to nationally-reported benchmarks…

click to listen to Doctor Scott Neeley

Neeley says the hospital has not laid off any nurses’ aides, although some have been on leave and can’t be replaced. The association also says staffing shortages result in nurses working 13 to 16 hour days without receiving legally-mandated meal and rest breaks and they’re often pressured to work overtime. Neeley says overtime is always voluntary…

click to listen to Doctor Scott Neeley

Neeley says Sierra Nevada has been trying to train more nurses. But due to the shortages, it’s a very competitive field and challenging to match the salaries other hospitals are offering.