Hospitals brace for strike

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006 | 6:56 a.m.

The bickering parties in a contract dispute disagree about the implications of an impending nurses and technicians strike at Valley and Desert Springs hospitals.

One side says patients will continue to enjoy excellent care. The other says patients will be in danger.

The reality probably lies between the two rhetorical extremes.

Barring a last-minute agreement, about 940 nurses and technicians will strike Monday at Valley Hospital Medical Center and Desert Springs Hospital, which combined provide 695 beds among the 3,336 in the valley. The workers are demanding increased staffing levels and a better retirement plan, among other things.

The looming strike would be a first for nurses in Las Vegas, and public leaders and observers in the medical community are alarmed.

The nationwide nursing shortage is particularly acute in Las Vegas. With flu season approaching, staffing problems at the two facilities could exacerbate seasonal crowding at other hospitals.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid, who have no authority over the hospitals or the union, met with both sides Wednesday to urge a resolution.

Reid said the health care system is already stressed and "we want to do what we can to prevent the strike."

Nurses and union officials have fueled anxiety about the pending strike.

Jane McAlevey, executive director of the 15,000-member Service Employees International Union Local 1107, which represents the nurses and technicians, said, "The hospital can make up any fib it wants to, but there will be a disruption of the health care delivery system in Las Vegas if the strike occurs."

McAlevey said the nurses don't want to cause problems for the community, but can't continue to work with the current situation.

"We think there's a health care crisis now, every day in Nevada," McAlevey said. "We want to fix it now."

The union recently negotiated new contracts with other hospitals in Las Vegas and is asking Universal Health Systems, the company that owns Valley and Desert Springs, to adhere to the same stipulations as the other facilities, McAlevey said.

Universal Health "is driving nurses out of the nursing profession because of how badly they treat them and how short they staff their hospitals," she said.

David Bussone, Valley Health System's group director, said contingency plans will enable the hospitals to function normally. Replacement nurses from U.S. Nursing Corp., a company that specializes in providing staff during strikes, are licensed in Nevada and are trained in the necessary specialities, he said.

In addition, hospital supervisors will fill in for nurses and technicians, Bussone said, and some nurses and technicians told their bosses they will cross picket lines.

"I expect that we will see a fair number of nurses and technicians who decide they don't want to strike," Bussone said.

The number of available beds will remain the same, the emergency rooms will remain open and staffed, and "it'll be business as usual," he said.

Bussone did not sound as optimistic in February about the repercussions of a strike . At that time, he told In Business, a Sun sister publication, that a strike "would have a pretty significant negative effect on the ability of any valley hospital that was struck. It would obviously impair our ability to take care of patients to some extent."

Bussone said Wednesday that his February statement referred to a different scenario, one where many more hospitals were affected by a labor dispute. The current dispute is on a much smaller scale and more manageable, he said.

Others in the medical community are voicing concern.

Dr. Frank Nemec, incoming chief of staff at Southern Hills Hospital and past president of the Nevada State Medical Association, said the strike would have a "profound effect" on patient care.

"When you have agency nurses or floater nurses, a lot of times they don't know the fundamental basics of working at that hospital," Nemec said.

Nemec, a gastroenterologist, said he would not be comfortable operating at Valley or Desert Springs with replacement nurses. "You're most comfortable when you have a dedicated and loyal nursing staff that knows the facilities," he said.

Dr. Don Havens, executive director of the Clark County Medical Society, said the effect of a strike on patient care is unknown.

"My concern with the nursing shortage is I don't know if the hospital will be able to completely staff with temporary nurses," Havens said.

U.S. Nursing Corp. did not return calls for comment.

Hospital officials said staff physicians support the hospitals' commitment to quality care, but others are backing the nurses.

Dr. William Evans, director of Children's Heart Center - a group of pediatric heart specialists - said in a Sept. 27 letter to Valley Hospital Chief Executive Greg Boyer that the physicians in his group "stand firmly with the valiant nurses and support staff."

"Our sympathies are not with the administration, nor the company, nor its stockholders in this fight," Evans wrote. "Our sympathies are with those who provide the care: the nurses and support staff in conjunction with the physicians."

Dr. Larry Cohler, chief of surgery at Valley, said he's considering performing a heart bypass operation on Sunday to avoid the confusion that could be caused Monday, the first day of the strike. The strike is "definitely a cause of concern," Cohler said, "but at the same time, the hospitals are doing the best they can to cover the needs of their patient population."

Cohler said there's comfort in working with familiar nurses and technicians in the operating room, but the work can also be done with qualified newcomers.