Nurse union strike threat doesn't include Reno hospital

A nurses union strike threat over swine flu vaccinations in California won’t disrupt operations at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center, officials said.
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Nurses at the Reno hospital plan to have informational pickets on Oct. 30, when California Nurses Association spokesman Chuck Idelson said that up to 16,000 registered nurses would strike at 34 hospitals across California if federal swine flu recommendations aren’t written into their contracts. He accused the hospitals of poor swine flu preparedness.

Saint Mary’s officials said patient and staff safety is the hospital’s primary concern.

Jill Furillo, director of CNU’s Catholic Facilities Division, said Saint Mary’s nurses would have informational pickets from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 30 and noted their contract is not under renegotiation.

Saint Mary’s was acquired in 2007 by San Francisco-based Catholic Healthcare West, which operates 28 of the hospitals that are threatened and is the largest health care provider in the West.