CNA Leadership's Two-Day Strike Puts Patients, Community At Risk

DALY CITY, Calif., June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders of the California Nurses Association have told their members, including full-time registered nurses who average more than $146,000 in wages and benefits, to walk off the job at AHMC Seton Medical Center June 22 and June 23, which will put patients and the community at risk and slow the long-term financial recovery of the hospital.

Seton's registered nurses, some of whom made in excess of $250,000 annually during the past two years, are expected not to work, a move that necessitates the hospital to plan to:

• Transfer patients
• Postpone elective surgeries
• Add expenses to keep the hospital open during the strike.

"We are deeply disappointed that leaders of the California Nurses Association will put our patients and our community at risk – again - with their call for a strike despite receiving fair compensation, staffing stabilization and rejecting a more-than-fair offer," said Sarkis Vartanian, Seton Medical Center Administrator.

Less than two years ago, Seton Medical Center's previous owners were in bankruptcy. The hospital teetered on the edge of closure and the community was at risk. In 2020, AHMC bought the hospital with a pledge to keep it open and make it financially viable that includes:

• Investing more than $100 million including repairs and upgrades
• Undertaking a $60 million seismic retrofit of the hospital
• Addressing costly, unanticipated maintenance and restoration needs uncovered during the retrofit process
• Managing significant monthly operating losses as we work to regain firm financial footing
• Despite the national nurse shortage, Seton has stabilized its nursing workforce by hiring 189 new staff members, 75 of whom are registered nurses.

"We have been working diligently to create a stable hospital for our community for years to come,'' Vartanian said. "It is our job to ensure that Seton Medical Center provide high quality, efficient and accessible care while making sure that we are fiscally responsible. We have a strong plan that we are on our way to achieve, but we simply cannot agree to what CNA leadership is proposing."

Seton Medical Center is fulfilling its promise to make our facility seismically compliant. We temporarily have closed floors to accommodate construction. We are not ending vital care services as CNA falsely claims, although, the union's strikes are disrupting the retrofit process.

About AMHC Seton Medical Center
AHMC acquired Seton Medical Center in August 2020. The hospital has been serving the health care needs of San Francisco and northern San Mateo County since its founding as Mary's Help Hospital in 1893. Recognized for its stroke treatment, cardio-vascular excellence, including STEMI certification, AHMC Seton Medical Center offers a comprehensive range of medical specialties on both an inpatient and outpatient basis, as well as emergency and surgical services.  

Contact: Tina Ahn 
415-902-9088
[email protected]

SOURCE AMHC Seton Medical Center