Even as COVID cases fall across the state and country, the city’s public health infrastructure is still struggling to recover from longer-term staffing shortages.
San Francisco General Hospital workers on the front line say staffing levels are well below what is needed, making it difficult to take care of patients and overworking those who take on long shifts with few breaks. The City’s public health infrastructure is still struggling to recover from longer-term staffing shortages.
The emergency room is equipped with 60 beds, and only about half of those are typically activated due to staff shortages, Bollinger said. On Wednesday, city workers staged a rally and march calling on officials to streamline hiring processes and staff up various agencies. “We were asking these questions in 2019 before COVID was in San Francisco,” said Bollinger. “Back then, we were asking why the hospital is budgeted for less than 80% of its beds when it runs at 110% capacity. I’ve been a member of the emergency department for close to 14 years. Since January 2020, we lost 60 nurses from that department.”
Nurses speaking at the hearing also expressed frustration with the local health care system’s reliance on temporary nurses or what’s known as “registry” staff, who have complicated pathways to permanent jobs with benefits and union representation. At Laguna Honda Hospital, for example, spending on temporary nurses went from $2.8 million in 2019 to more than $12.3 million in 2021.
In the meantime, negotiations are underway between SEIU Local 1021, the union that represents thousands of city workers including those at S.F. General, and employers.
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