Nurses to Protest Layoffs at Long Beach Medical Center for Patient Safety

Protest Over Nurse Layoffs at Long Beach Hospitals

Registered nurses at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Long Beach, California, plan to hold a demonstration on Monday, June 16. The protest aims to address concerns about patient safety following the layoff of numerous nurses and healthcare workers, according to an announcement from the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU).

"The hospital is choosing to reduce the services that are essential to patients in our community," stated Amy Wolk, a registered nurse from the diabetes clinic who was recently laid off. "They are laying off dozens of registered nurses who have given decades of service to our community. This is unconscionable."

The layoffs, announced by Long Beach management on May 1, affect many nurses and healthcare workers, primarily in outpatient clinics and women’s health departments. This reduction is anticipated to decrease the availability of services to the Long Beach community and potentially harm patient care quality.

Who: RNs at Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital

What: Informational picket and candlelight vigil for patient safety

When: Monday, June 16, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Where: MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center, 2801 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, Calif.

"We are going to stand up to the hospital and make sure the public is aware of the impact of the layoffs," said Brandy Welch, a registered nurse in the pediatrics unit. "Our patients deserve transparency into the operations of the hospital and how these layoffs will affect patient care."

The CNA represents over 2,100 registered nurses at both Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the nation with more than 100,000 members in more than 200 facilities throughout California and more than 225,000 RNs nationwide.

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