Nurses to picket Delco hospital to draw attention to staffing levels

About 400 registered nurses and technical employees at Delaware County Memorial Hospital are planning to hold an informational picket in front of the Drexel Hill, Pa., hospital to advocate for improved quality of care and safety for patients as well as employees.

The hospital workers, who joined the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurse and Allied Professional (PASNAP) union earlier this year, are in the process of negotiating their first union contract with Prospect Medical Holdings, which acquired Delaware County Memorial as part of its purchase of the Crozer-Keystone Health System in July.

At the informational picket, the PASNAP nurses and technicians plan to call on Prospect, which operates 18 hospitals in five states, to use part of the $200 million it pledged to invest in Crozer-Keystone’s five hospitals for “safe” staffing levels needed to ensure quality care continues to be provided at the medical centers.

“Union nurses and techs are currently working to win a fair contract with [Delaware County Memorial],” said Jeanne Touchton, a longtime RN at the hospital.

Mary Wascavage, a spokeswoman for Delaware County Memorial, said the hospitals has been bargaining in good faith with PASNAP union representatives during the last few months.

"We are engaged in a thoughtful and sincere negotiating process," Wascavage said. "We have already reached significant agreements during these negotiations and we look forward to signing a contract with PASNAP. It’s important to note that our direct care staffing levels rank above average for hospitals nationwide. Nursing leadership checks staffing levels at least three times a day, each and every day, to ensure appropriate staffing."

Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings is owned by Leonard Green and Associates, a California private equity firm.

Source: Philadelphia Business Journal