“Lethal Dose” Kills Patient During Sutter Health Lockout

Patient’s death heightens tensions after strike. Members of the union, the California Nurses Association-National Nurses United, blamed the incident on the decision by Sutter Health to lock them out of the hospital chain’s facilities following a one-day strike Thursday.

Strike nurses hold candlelight vigil for deceased patient Sunday at 7 p.m._Dylan Entelis_The Cronicle

Veteran nurses locked out of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland said Sunday that the death of a patient due to a medical error by a replacement worker wouldn’t have happened if they had been allowed to do their jobs.

Click here for “Lethal Dose” Kills Patient During Lockout” By Lori Preuitt NBCLA

Sept 22nd a Monumental Social Justice Day Outcry to Sutter Health with 20,000 Nurses Striking and PAMF Court Hearing

Sept. 22nd marked a monumental day of outcry for social justice directed at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, a subsidiary of Sutter Health. as it faced not only the Sunnyvale PAMF EIR Appeal Court Hearing, but also dealt with the largest labor action in years as over 20,000 registered nurses went on strike.

Sutter Nurses Strike Sept 22, 2011 Credit Courtesy Community Commons

Nurse Morgan stated “Sutter’s focus is on money,” she said. “The nurses’ focus is on patients. Even though Sutter says they are in the business for patients, their actions speak louder than words.”

The president of the largest labor federation in the nation joined striking nurses on a Berkeley picket line. He criticized corporate hospital leaders for what union members say are 200 proposed cutbacks by Sutter Health in employee benefits and patient services.

From the Sunnyvale PAMF perspective, I agree. In my opinion, placing two intense parking garage vents emitting toxic air contaminants known to cause cancer within a few feet of elderly residential homes spoke of insensitivity and a lack of residential and elder respect.

Click Here for the Oakland Tribune “Nurses at Nearly Three Dozen Hospitals in California Hospitals Strike” By Kristin J. Bender 09/22/11

PAMF EIR Oral Arguments Heard Today in the 6th Court of Appeals

The oral arguments for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation PAMF and City of Sunnyvale City Council Environmental Impact Report EIR Lawsuit were heard this morning in the 6th District Court of Appeal with Associate Justice Patricia Bamattre-Manoukian presiding.

The complaints address the inadequacy of General Plan Discussion for the three Kenny Court Residential Homes to become part of the medical facility, improper traffic and noise baseline , and improper construction mitigation for the nearby residential homes influenced by nearly 2 1/2 years of construction noise that exceeds the City of Sunnyvale Noise Ordinance.

In fact, the initial indicators of a required PAMF EIR, according to John Schwarz, of David J Powers & Associates,  in an email, warned Sunnyvale Planners Gerri Caruso and Trudi Ryan 9/19/08 of “given the proximity of the residential uses, the HIGH construction levels anticipated and the duration of exposure to those levels . . . ”

The purpose of an Environmental Impact Report EIR under the California Environmental Quality Act CEQA is to disclose the impacts to those not involved in the decision-making process as well as mitigate to avoid or significantly lessen the impacts.

Take a look at this plywood fence that Sacramento Attorneys Trainor Fairbrook consider “good enough!” for noise mitigation, egad! Additionally, wouldn’t it be reasonable to include the massive underground structure in the PAMF EIR analysis? It is not.