Nurses, staff members rally at Seton Medical Center
Nurses and staff members held separate rallies at Seton Medical Center in Daly City on Tuesday morning, calling for decisions to cut jobs to be overturned and for their benefits to be increased.
Staff members were told Friday that 33 jobs will be cut by AHMC Healthcare, the hospital's owner, next month, according to Matthew Artz, a spokesperson for the National Union of Healthcare Workers.
"AHMC is the worst operator we've ever seen at Seton," Christina Caradis, a radiologic technologist who has worked at the hospital for 26 years, said in a press release. "They're not able to provide basic needs for the hospital or patients."
Caradis also said the hospital has outdated technology that doesn't work and machines that have not been fixed.
"I take pride in serving my community, but it's heartbreaking to witness the decline of our hospital and the impact it has on patients," she added.
"They are taking away the good insurance we had for our families and making us pay more," said John Paes, a respiratory therapist at Seton for 26 years. "There are a lot of departments that are closed, so how are we expected to get proper service for our own families."
Paes said AHMC started slowly cutting back hours for many departments, which led to doctors no longer ordering necessary procedures, which he says is a way to cut other staff members out.
He added that he felt patients' lives are at stake because AHMC has allegedly not repaired EKG machines and ventilators that aren't working.
The California Nurses Association said AHMC Healthcare, based in Alhambra in Southern California, is rushing the implementation of a new medical plan they say is inferior to what Seton nurses currently have.
Nurses also criticized the owners and administration, saying the job cuts could not come at a worse time for them despite the company seeing $42 million in profit last year, according to the union.
"We have to fight for our job security because they're laying off people," said nursing assistant Teresita Guinto, who has been with the hospital for 32 years. "The important thing is to keep us all here. I dedicated my life here and I treat my patients like family," she added.
"Especially with Christmas and the new year coming. The only thing we're asking is stop this bulls--t. Don't just hide in your office," she said in reference to administrators.
"Seton's behavior is disrespectful to nurses and, ultimately, the community we serve," Michelle Kubota, RN in the medical-surgical unit, said in a press release. "As nurses at Daly City's only community hospital, we care for patients who otherwise may not have access to health care services. I'm worried that if Seton continues this behavior, nurses will choose to work elsewhere, undermining the hospital's capacity to provide quality care for our patients."
Seton Medical Center is Daly City's largest employer. The hospital, previously owned by a Catholic organization, filed for bankruptcy and was bought by AHMC in 2020, a move many staff members say has accelerated the decline in both the facility and treatment of employees.
A request for comment was not immediately returned by AHMC Healthcare.