Priority No. 1 for 2011: Addressing Workplace Violence Two Recent Murders Highlight Urgent Need for Reform in California

The SEIU Nurse Alliance of California has been working in recent years to help improve protection for nurses and other healthcare workers against violence in the workplace. Increasing violence is a growing concern for our members, and motivated our union to play a critical role in pushing through legislation in 2009. AB 1083, which took effect in January 2010, requires California hospitals to conduct security risk assessments annually. It also recommends that hospitals develop and update security plans to include provisions for consulting with employees and cooperating with local law enforcement.

But recent headlines have shown that AB 1083 is not enough and stronger measures will be required. First Cynthia Barraca Palomata, a nurse at the Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez, was killed by an inmate Oct. 25. Authorities say the inmate faked a seizure. Then, while receiving attention, he hit Palomata over the head with a table lamp he grabbed from the nurses’ station.

Horrifically, another murder took place just a few days later. Donna Gross, a psychiatric technician and SEIU Local 1000 member at Napa State Hospital, was strangled and robbed by a mentally ill patient while she was in a courtyard returning from a dinner break. Afterward, employees at the hospital said the slaying was the culmination of a string of incidents that have made them feel unsafe. Some accused and convicted murderers and other violent offenders, deemed either mentally unfit to stand trial or not guilty by reason of insanity, are free to roam the 138-acre campus, the nurses said. Statistics clearly back these worker claims: violent attacks, including many serious enough to cause employees to miss at least one day of work, have dramatically increased in recent years at Napa State Hospital.

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SEIU Nurse Alliance of California • www.nurseallianceca.org3251 Corte Malpaso Ste. 501A Camarillo, CA 93012 • phone: 818-738-8292 • email: dahlgreni@seiu121rn.org

SEIU Local 1000 members have held several rallies with other state hospital employees as part of the Safety Now! Coalition since the Nov. 16 murder of Donna Gross.

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Preventing Violence in the Workplace, from Page 1.In response to Donna Gross’ murder, hundreds of SEIU Local 1000 members have joined other state hospital employees for an unprecedented series of rallies outside both Napa State Hospital and the state Department of Mental Health (DMH). State health workers have formed a new coalition called Safety Now!. that is demanding increased security for workers at Napa and all other DMH facilities. “We shouldn’t have to go to work every day and wonder if we are going to be assaulted,” said Kathleen Thomas, an RN at Napa State Hospital. “It’s unacceptable that we are forced to work under these unsafe conditions.”

“The bottom line is we need more protection for nurses,” said Ingela Dahlgren, executive director for the SEIU Nurse Alliance of California (pictured at the Napa State Hospital rally, on the left, with Kathy Hughes of SEIU Local 121RN and Nancy Lyerla of SEIU Local 1000). We need to hold all healthcare facilities and institutions responsible for protecting nurses and healthcare workers at all times. We have a right to go to work without fear of being hit or killed. If you hit a bus driver or a police officer the law states that you have committed a felony. If you hit a nurse it’s a misdemeanor. You can get away with attacking nurses, and it encourages potentially deadly situations to develop.”

These recent tragedies have illustrated the worst fears of many California RNs who work in potentially dangerous situations. In January, the Nurse Alliance of California steering committee voted violence in the workplace to be a top priority for 2011 and SEIU will make a push in Sacramento for new workplace safety legislation with real penalties. Already, two bills—AB 30 (addressing acute care units) and SB 60 (addressing state and mental hospitals)—have been introduced. We will support and fight this year for any bill that gives more teeth to AB 1083, or adds strength in areas that AB 1083 did not address.

Let’s Work Together to make Real Change Share Your Story of Violence in the WorkplaceWe know many of you have been hurt during the course of performing your duties as RNs. This needs to stop now. Let’s make sure no one else has to go to work with the threat of being hurt, traumatized or killed. The first step toward not accepting an atmosphere of violence is to speak honestly and tell our stories. We urge all RNs who have personal accounts of violence in the workplace, no matter how small it may seem, to share them with Ingela Dahlgren, SEIU Nurse Alliance of California executive director. You can send your story via e-mail to dahlgreni@seiu121rn.org. You can also go to the website www.nurseallainceca.org to send your story using the automated form.

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Another Priority for 2011: Safe Patient HandlingBecky Long’s Story Inspires Action to Protect Nurse Safety

In January, the Nurse Alliance steering committee decided the time was right to push for a safe patient handling bill in California, and made the issue another priority for 2011. In recent years, we have known that a safe patient handling bill was becoming necessary for nurse safety, and there was little recourse for RNs who see the need for improvements at their facilities.

Nothing illustrates the need for patient handling legislation better then the story of Becky Long, the secretary-treasurer of SEIU Local 121RN, who worked for more than 30 years at Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center. Becky was charged with getting a patient back to the pediatric department after surgery. Because there was no one around or a transport team at her hospital, Becky was left to struggle with a gurney that didn’t roll correctly and was difficult to steer. The gurney proved too heavy and Becky suffered herniated disks as a result.

Then, in May 2010, when workers; compensation approved payment, Becky went in for back surgery. What happened next was an even greater tragedy as complications arose; Becky suffered multiple strokes resulting in severe brain injury. She is still ventilator-dependant at times, no longer able to function on her own and is living in a skilled nursing facility.

The bottom line is that what happened to Becky Long could have been avoided if her hospital had prioritized safe patient handling for its nurses. “We need lifting equipment, not permanently disabled nurses. The way things are, we don’t get to retire, we just switch places and end up in a hospital bed ourselves,” said Maxine Davidson, an RN at Riverside Community Hospital and a fellow member of SEIU Local 121RN.

There has been movement in Washington, D.C., on this issue. In October 2009, Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota introduced the Nurses and Health Care Worker Protection Act. If enacted, the legislation would issue OSHA standards, require facilities to develop plans, train workers and free $200 million to cover the costs of acquiring safe patient handling equipment.

SEIU is currently working with to gather support for a federal bill. But we can’t wait around, especially given the current political climate. Since there are no assurances the Franken bill will pass, we intend to work in California raising awareness and work toward supporting a bill in Sacramento. SEIU Local 1021 RN Lorraine Thiebaud (pictured left), worked with state legislators to craft safe needle legislation in California and will lead our efforts for enactment of patient handling legislation. (Story continued on Page 4.)

“I’m a nurse. I have come to realize the importance of political action. As a nurse, if I don’t speak up for my patients and their needs, including healthcare reform, I am not being an effective advocate.”—Becky Long, quote and picture from the SEIU Nurse Alliance of California steering committee meeting in January 2010.

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Safe Patient Handling, from Page 3.As we work on this important issue, we will think about Becky Long, and continue to send our thoughts and prayers to her and her family. The Nurse Alliance of California feels that one of the best things we can do for Becky is to use her situation as an inspiration, to make sure nurses don’t have to sacrifice our safety and our livelihoods in the course of helping others.

To keep updated on safe patient handling, and other issues we’re prioritizing during the current legislative session, go to the website at www.nurseallianceca.org.

2011 Nurse Legislative Conference: Sacramento, May 3 and May 4Come build on the momentum of last year’s successful conference. We need RNs to help strategize about getting movement in Sacramento around issues of workplace violence and safe patient handling. We expect an exciting agenda, packed with educational opportunities and chances to meet with legislators around these priorities.

Public Health Nurse (PHN) Conference: SEIU Local 1021, April 8 or April 15Part of the work of the SEIU Nurse Alliance of California is to identify issues specific to particular types of nursing and develop ways to educate and take action around the biggest issues. For the first time, PHN leaders from across California will meet about how to take charge of their professional future. We will discuss developing a united statewide PHN program around vital issues, such as the impact healthcare reform will have on public health nursing.

Look for more information on these upcoming conferences at www.nurseallianceca.org. We will have registration materials posted in the near future. Your involvement in 2011 will make the difference .

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“We need to work together as nurses in California. To promote health for ourselves and all Americans since we, the nurses, are the ones taking care of patients and we can take actions to fight for better patient care in California.”—Laura Villondo, RN, SEIU Local 121RN, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center

SEIU Local 1021 RNs Kuwaza Imara and Christal Cox participate at the 2010 legislative conference.

SEIU Nurse Alliance of California • www.nurseallianceca.org3251 Corte Malpaso Ste. 501A Camarillo, CA 93012 • phone: 818-738-8292 • email: dahlgreni@seiu121rn.org