Nurses picket Desert Regional, hospital responds

This morning, North Indian Canyon was awash with the sound of protest.

Registered nurses gathered in front of Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs to for an “informational picket,” with a mission; getting hospital management to invest more in its nursing staff, according to a news release sent out by the California Nurses Association (CNA).

The picket was one of eight that were planned across California, and one of two regional events (the second local protest took place at Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree). All pickets were held at facilities that are a part of the Tenet Healthcare network.

“We are encouraging Desert Regional and Tenet to increase staffing so that we can give optimal care to our patients,” Laura Bruce, a registered nurse who works in the Intensive Care Unit and the hospital said during the picket.

Todd Burke, director of communications and public relations for Desert Regional, issued the following statement in response to Tuesday’s protest:

The CNA, the labor union that represents our nursing staff, is holding an informational leafleting/picketing event today outside Desert Regional Medical Center.

The hospital is fully operational and our staff’s focus, as always, is on providing exceptional quality patient care.

We are disappointed that the union is taking this approach as it is not constructive or necessary. We have made good progress toward a new contract with the union and will continue to negotiate in good faith in hopes of reaching a successful resolution, without the need to disrupt our patients or staff in their mission.

The picket took place from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. According to the news release on the picket, the CNA represents 3733 registered nurses in California. It affiliated with National Nurses United, which has 150,000 members nationwide.