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UC DAVIS MEDICAL CENTER PUTS EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENT ON DIVERSION, TURNS DOWN PATIENT TRANSFERS TO PREPARE
FOR NURSES’ STRIKE
July 18, 2005
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) —
Anticipating the first nurses’ strike in its history,
UC Davis
Medical Center is taking a series of steps to ensure the safety
of currently hospitalized patients, without resorting to use of
replacement nurses.
To reduce its hospitalized patient population to a level that
can be safely cared for on the day of the strike — set for
Thursday, July 21 — the medical center is shutting down
some of its intensive care units and emptying some of its hospital
beds. In addition, the medical center is:
- working with emergency response agencies to redirect all but
the most critically injured adults and children to hospitals unaffected
by the strike. (The emergency department registered 229 patients
on the weekend of July 16-17, down from 319 the weekend before.
Ambulances brought only 10 patients to the emergency department
this past weekend, compared to 73 the previous weekend.)
- turning down patient transfer requests from other hospitals
in the region (66 such requests have been turned down since Thursday,
July 14)
- closing the emergency department to walk-in patients beginning
Wednesday evening and continuing through 7 a.m. Friday; the emergency
department will continue to treat the most critical trauma and
burn cases brought in by ambulance.
- postponing some surgeries and procedures that had been scheduled
for this week.
“We will be carefully assessing the impact of every action
we take in the days leading up to the strike to make sure that we
direct our resources to providing the essential services that this
community relies on, and cannot be provided elsewhere,” said
Robert Chason, CEO of UC Davis Medical Center. “All of our
changes in response to the strike are being made only after meticulous
review and with our patients’ best interests in mind. We are
committed to maintaining the safest possible environment for our
patients.”
Patients should keep their regularly scheduled appointments this
week, unless contacted by UC Davis with other instructions. Patients
should also expect scheduled surgeries to take place unless contacted
by the medical center. Patients or family members who have questions
about how the planned strike may affect a medical appointment may
call 1-800-2UCDAVIS.
Patients who require emergency care between Wednesday evening and
Friday morning must go to another hospital emergency room. Nearby
hospital emergency departments are located at:
- Sutter Memorial Hospital, 5151 F St., Sacramento
- Mercy General Hospital, 4001 J St., Sacramento
- Sutter General Hospital, 2801 L St., Sacramento
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital, 2025 Morse Ave., Sacramento
- Kaiser Foundation South Sacramento, 6600 Bruceville Rd., Sacramento
- Mercy Methodist Hospital, 7500 Hospital Dr., Sacramento
For patients eligible for care from Sacramento County, the Sacramento
County Primary Care Clinic at 2921 Stockton Boulevard will have
extra doctors and other staff available to handle additional walk-in
patients this week.
In the midst of a severe shortage of nurses, UC Davis Medical Center
has distinguished itself as one of the best work environments for
nurses in the United States. Unlike many hospitals, the medical
center’s nursing staff is composed of all registered nurses,
the most highly trained category of licensed nurses. And the medical
center’s nurse-patient ratio has long met or exceeded state-mandated
nurse staffing ratios. According to the latest annual hospital ranking
by U.S.
News & World Report, the medical center’s nurse-patient
ratio is among the best in the nation.
Vacancy and turnover rates among the nursing staff at UC Davis Medical
Center are among the lowest in the nation. The vacancy rate at the
medical center is 3.4 percent, compared to the national average
of 16.2 percent. The turnover rate at the medical center is 8.9
percent, compared to the national average of 16.8 percent.
Nurse safety is a top priority. In December, UC Davis Medical Center
began deploying a “lift team” to protect nurses and
other staff from pain and injuries incurred from lifting patients.
A team is available 24 hours per day, seven days a week. Use of
the team has dramatically reduced Worker’s Compensation claims
stemming from lift injuries.
UC Davis Medical Center is designated as a Magnet Center of Nursing
Excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Only three
health-care facilities in California and 102 nationwide have received
this four-year award. The designation honors UC Davis for creating
an outstanding work environment for nurses.
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