Nurses at Corpus Christi Medical Center (CCMC) are seeing changes that will help improve workplace practices and all-around patient care. That's thanks to a new three year contract that was ratified by HCA Management for nurses represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU).
More than 700 nurses across Texas will be impacted by the changes. KRIS 6 News previously reported in June that nurses at CCMC protested for better staffing practices.
Sylvia Higgins a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse said the new contract could rectify the staffing concern and take care of other major issues for nurses.
"Staffing is really the main thing in a hospital," Higgins said. "Safe staffing especially, we want to make sure the patients get adequate coverage and are taken care 100%. We don't have to worry about not having enough nurses."
The contract will also highlight the follow:
- Pilot program on break relief staffing that will ensure nurses can take their meal and rest breaks during their shifts.
- New measures to ensure nurses are temporarily reassigned to units similar to their normal specialty.
- Substantial wage increases that will improve nurse recruitment and retention.
"That's what keeps people working, is keeping their wages up with inflation," Higgins added. "We always want to retain nurses too, so we would like experienced nurses working."
Higgins isn't the only nurse who believes the contract will be a good thing. Paul Hirvasoja, a staff resident nurse with more than thirty years of experience, said the contract is not only going to help the nurses. It will also help provide better care to patients.
"With this contract, it's a step in the right direction. We do feel that it will improve patient safety. That's the final outcome that us nurses are ultimately looking for," Hirvasoja said.
CCMC sent the following statement to the KRIS 6 Newsroom:
We are pleased to announce that Corpus Christi Medical Center has a ratified contract with National Nurses United (NNU). As we indicated all along, our goal was to reach an agreement that was fair for our colleagues and maintained the flexibility that allows us to operate in an ever changing healthcare environment, and this contract meets those goals. We are eager to move forward together in providing high-quality care to our patients."
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