During a recent San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors meeting, nurses voiced urgent concerns regarding chronic staffing shortages and patient safety at local healthcare facilities. Madison Rank, a representative from the nurse bargaining team and a CNA nurse, highlighted the critical need for immediate hiring to fill preapproved vacant nursing positions based on patient care needs rather than productivity metrics. Rank emphasized that the current staffing matrix is essential for maintaining safe nurse-to-patient ratios, particularly in the cardiovascular intensive care unit where she works.

Rank pointed out that delays in hiring ICU nurses can take up to six months, resulting in elevated vacancy rates and forcing hospitals to rely on expensive short-term solutions like travel nurses. She urged the county to prioritize staffing levels that comply with legal requirements to enhance nursing retention and ensure patient safety.

Veronica Morales, another nurse representative with 16 years of experience, echoed these sentiments, reporting over 125 incidents of unsafe patient care at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center due to understaffing in the first half of 2024. Morales stressed the importance of addressing recruitment and retention issues, stating that the safety of patients must remain the top priority. She called for a contract that focuses on improving staffing throughout the county to ensure that the community receives the quality medical attention it deserves.

The meeting underscored the pressing need for the county to take action in response to the ongoing staffing crisis, as nurses continue to advocate for better working conditions and patient care standards.