RNs at Kapiolani ratify
their new contract; Kuakini
vote is tomorrowHospitals report Y2K-OK
By Lori Tighe and
Susan Kreifels
Star-BulletinThe last of the "Big Five" hospitals reached a tentative agreement with the nurses union early this morning, which should end the possibility of a strike.
Registered nurses at Kuakini Medical Center will vote on the settlement tomorrow, said Nancy McGuckin, executive director of the Hawaii Nurses Association.
Meanwhile more than 90 percent of Kapiolani registered nurses ratified a new contract yesterday that calls for beefing-up the hospital's staff.
Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children agreed to hire 20 more registered nurses to ease the patient-to-nurse ratio, McGuckin said.
Among the other hospitals that have reached agreements thus far -- Kaiser, Queen's and St. Francis -- Kapiolani is the only one to boost its registered nurse staff.
"It's a very good, immediate step in the right direction," McGuckin said.
McGuckin said she believed Kuakini's tentative settlement included similar provisions on staffing and wages that were included in other contracts. She called Kuakini's negotiations "very, very tough." The hospital said it served a high number of patients on Medicare, which has seen cuts in payments. That, according to the hospital, hurt Kuakini more than other hospitals.
Kapiolani's 460 nurses were set to strike at 7 a.m. tomorrow if they couldn't reach a settlement. Kuakini nurses will strike at 7 a.m. on Dec. 31 if they don't ratify a new contract.
The Kapiolani agreement includes the same trend-setting initiatives as the Queen's and St. Francis contracts. Nurses will help make staffing decisions based on patients' needs, and hospitals will collect more nursing data.
"It's going to make a difference in how health care is practiced in Hawaii," McGuckin said.
Fran Hallonquist, Kapiolani's chief executive officer, called the new contract excellent for the nurses, the hospital and "most importantly the patients."
"I'm very pleased. It clearly addresses the nurses' concerns," she said.
Budgetary problems hospitals face today have put staffing issues in the spotlight for nurses, Hallonquist said.
"Staffing has always been a concern for nurses, but in recent years it's become more pronounced. To have nurses involved in discussing staffing is important because they're the individuals at the bedside," Hallonquist said. "They're delivering the care to our patients."
To pay the nurses an 8 percent raise over the next three years of their contract, the hospital will look at ways to grow, to increase reimbursements and to become more cost-effective, she said.
The Hawaii Nurses Association plans to bring in national experts on "Principles for Nurse Staffing" -- guidelines developed by the American Nurses Association -- to help Hawaii's nurses participate in assessing patients' daily needs for care.
Nurses will identify hospital units that need attention first, and then use staffing standards to make needed changes, McGuckin said. It could possibly mean hiring more people.
