Registered Nurses Picket Brotman Medical Center

Last week, Registered Nurses working at Culver City’s Brotman Medical Center picketed the premises, and called on the private equity firm that operates the Culver City hospital to forego its proposals that would undercut patient care standards and make a commitment not to erode patient care.

According to a release from National Nurses United, Brotman Medical Center was purchased in 2009 by Prospect Medical Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Leonard Green and Partners, a Private Equity group that lists luxury brands such as Neiman Marcus and Whole Foods among its portfolio of investments.

The nurses argue that despite consistent profitability, hospital management is demanding substantial cuts in nurses’ economic standards and proposals that would put patients at risk.

“We have seen this over and over” said Brotman RN Valerie Selden. “Management makes demands that will undercut patient care standards and creates a huge turnover of new employees as well as drive away experienced RNs. Nurses have no choice but to stand up and demand that Prospect Medical Holdings make a commitment not to erode patient care in Culver City.   We cannot work the bedside, provide the care that is our calling -- for which we are professionally trained -- and give the ground management demands,” she said.

According to the nurses, Prospect management wants to impose rules that allow Brotman to assign RNs to work in hospital units for which they do not have clinical expertise, and has rejected RN proposals to reduce workplace violence, needle stick injuries, and safe lift practices to stop patient falls and accidents and workplace injuries for RNs.

In addition, the nurses say the management company is also seeking to cut nurses pay “and impose punitive measures intended to substantially erode protections for the RNs when and if the hospital is sold again.”

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