RNs protest layoff notices at CommonSpirit Health's Bakersfield hospitals

Registered Nurses Challenge Layoff Notices at CommonSpirit Health

On Thursday, July 16, registered nurses will organize an informational picket in Bakersfield, California, in response to proposed staffing cuts at CommonSpirit Health's Dignity Health Bakersfield Memorial Hospital and Dignity Health Mercy Hospitals (Downtown and Southwest). The nurses argue that these reductions could compromise patient care and are calling for the immediate withdrawal of layoff notices, advocating for staffing that aligns with patient needs.

CommonSpirit Health, which oversees Dignity Health, has notified several employees, including registered and licensed vocational nurses, of impending layoffs effective August 3, 2026. The nurses warn that such staff reductions may delay patient care and threaten safety.

"When hospitals cut nurses and other health workers, patient care suffers," stated Sandy Reding, an RN at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital and president of the California Nurses Association (CNA). "The work doesn’t disappear, it gets pushed onto fewer caregivers. Medications are delayed, call lights will go unanswered, and wait times in the ER will increase. Every minute we spend doing work that was once handled by educators, unit secretaries, licensed vocational nurses, or other support staff is time taken away from direct patient care. Our patients deserve better, and that’s why we are speaking out."

Details of the Picket:

• Who: Registered nurses at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, Mercy Hospital Downtown, and Mercy Hospital Southwest
• What: Informational picket
• When: Thursday, July 16, from 6-9 a.m.
• Where: Mercy Hospital Downtown, 2215 Truxtun Ave., Bakersfield, Calif., outside the main entrance

Layoff notices have been issued across various roles at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital and Mercy Hospitals, affecting positions such as:

• A registered nurse educator responsible for maintaining clinical competencies and ongoing training.
• A safety nurse at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital ensuring timely responses to medication and lab orders.
• Licensed vocational nurses working in the emergency department.
• Transcriptionists, orderlies, and unit secretaries.

Nurses emphasize that these staffing cuts will burden remaining staff, impeding their ability to provide quality care and delaying patient services, potentially leading to worse health outcomes.

This announcement follows the closure of the Grossman burn unit at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital on June 30, 2026, which eliminated vital specialized care for Kern County residents.

Hospital management cites financial challenges as the reason for these staffing changes. However, nurses argue that CommonSpirit Health possesses the necessary resources, noting that the top 10 executives earned over $310.5 million from 2020-2024, with the CEO receiving a compensation package of more than $14 million for fiscal year 2025.

The CNA represents 1,500 nurses at the Bakersfield facilities and over 17,000 nurses at 33 CommonSpirit locations nationwide.

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

---
Read More USA Works News