New reporting in CalMatters draws links between ratio non-enforcement, unsafe staffing, and patient harm, via the tragic case of a patient whose life was upended after a visit at West Hills Hospital. The reporting is informed by our campaign to pressure CDPH to finally enforce penalties on hospitals that break the law.
The story, which also led in CalMatters weekly newsletter, includes commentary by our Union President, Leo Perez:
“If the allegations made in this case are true, what happened to Josh Saeta demonstrates the real human cost when unsafe hospital staffing goes unchecked,” said Leo Perez, president of SEIU local 121RN, the union representing nurses and other medical staff at West Hills Hospital.
Perez said Saeta’s story is not an isolated incident and that nurses work with the “constant fear of failing their patients” because of unsafe staffing conditions.