Columnist Jeff German: Hospital big shots in for fight

Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2005 | 11:03 a.m.

Ihave a feeling that the big shots at Desert Springs Hospital are about to get a lesson in how to treat people with respect.

In less than 24 hours last week, the big shots sent a group of hard-working nurses home for wearing buttons supporting a union organizing drive at sister Spring Valley Hospital across the valley.

Then, when Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, a Democratic candidate for governor, visited Desert Springs the next morning at the request of the nurses to inquire about the violation of their free speech rights, the big shots kicked him out of the hospital, too.

What were they thinking?

Picking a fight with one of the state's most powerful politicians is either incredibly foolish and short-sighted or an act of arrogance inspired by the corporate mind-set of the Pennsylvania-based conglomerate that owns Desert Springs and three other hospitals here.

Jane McAlevey, executive director of the local Service Employees International Union, which represents the Desert Springs nurses, believes it's a sorry combination of both.

Universal Health Services, regarded as one of the world's largest for-profit hospital companies, with nearly $4 billion in revenues last year, has never been a good corporate citizen in this state, McAlevey said.

"This is a massive mega-corporation very far away from Nevada," she said. "They don't care about their nurses. They don't care about their patients. And they don't care about Nevada."

And now the hospital giant has made an enemy out of the politically ambitious Perkins, the top dog in the Assembly, just as he's gearing up to announce his candidacy for governor on Thursday.

What great timing for the Henderson Democrat -- to be attacked by a greedy hospital -- and one owned by a carpetbagger that sucks millions of dollars in profits out of the state each year.

Perkins, a deputy police chief in Henderson, is definitely no dummy.

In a crowded Democratic primary, he's milking the lunacy of last week for maximum political gain.

On Friday he sent a letter to Universal Health Services executives demanding a written apology.

He said he was "shocked" to see Desert Springs big shots issue an outrageously false statement accusing him, a career law enforcement officer, of endangering the lives of patients, as he came to the aid of the nurses.

Perkins also told the corporate executives that he believes Universal Health Services is "breaking the law" in its effort to beat back the organizing drive at Spring Valley Hospital.

And this week, in an interview with me, he said he won't hesitate to use his legislative powers to do something about this injustice.

"They're more interested in busting a union than taking care of their patients," he said. "We'll have to make sure that the policies in this state require that patient care be the primary interest of the hospitals."

That was an invitation to his legislative colleagues -- who tend to stick together when one of their own is disrespected -- to join him in making life miserable for Universal Health Services and its local subsidiaries.

"This issue is not going to go away," Perkins said. "People won't forget this."

By the time this public whipping is over, neither will the big shots at Desert Springs Hospital.