(French Camp) — San Joaquin County today announced that operations at San Joaquin General Hospital (SJGH) are proceeding as planned and there have been no disruptions in service, due to a staffing plan implemented late last week to ensure patient health and safety during the anticipated nurses strike. The California Nurses Association (CNA) provided notice to the County that registered nurses at the Hospital, Public Health, Behavioral Health, and other County health facilities would strike from this morning Thursday, March 5th, through the morning of Saturday, March 7th.

“We want to assure the community that the hospital is open and available to provide care to those who need it,” said David Culberson, CEO of San Joaquin General Hospital. “We have however rescheduled elective, non-emergency surgeries until after the strike. We regret the inconvenience this will cause to some people.”

All essential SJGH departments — including the Emergency Room, Operating Room, Intensive Care Unit, Labor and Delivery, Oncology, Dialysis, and Trauma — are open and staffed.

This continuity of care is because the County, in response to the strike, contracted for a temporary 185- person nursing team from Healthsource Global. These California-licensed nurses are experienced, qualified, and highly skilled, and will ensure the Hospital can continue to provide vital health care services during the strike. The Healthsource Global team will staff SJGH starting today through March 9th.

In addition, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is conducting labor actions at San Joaquin General Hospital, Substance Abuse Services, Human Services Agency, Behavioral Health Services, and the Department of Child Support. It is anticipated that SEIU’s labor actions will be ongoing through Friday, March 6, 2020.

Additional Background

SJGH is a public hospital. Roughly 65% of its patients are on Medicare or Medi-Cal.

The cost of the temporary nursing workforce for five days to San Joaquin County is approximately $4 million.

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