CASHPCR Announces Developmental Center Clients Potential Victims of Stalled Labor Contracts for State Nurses.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- CASHPCR announces that without the governors nod to state contracts for state's nurses, clients in the Development Centers will unintentionally suffer grave consequences.

At issue, is an enormous salary inequity between state nurses at developmental centers and nurse working at the state's correctional and mental health centers, which could seriously jeopardize the well being and safety of our most vulnerable citizens.

Nurses employed by Mental Health and Corrections received a large salary increase due to two lawsuit settlements that focused on inadequate medical services and other critical issues. The 18 percent recruitment and retention increase was mandated to improve those services. However, the medical care delivered at the Developmental Centers has not been the subject of a lawsuit, so this increase has not been extended to the DC nurses.

This salary discrepancy is more acute due to the fact that the present nursing salary at the DCs may be 30% less than what is offered in the private sector. The Sonoma DC has been more acutely affected than the other 4 DCs statewide because of its proximity to Napa State Hospital

Despite the preference of the nurses to continue serving persons with developmental disabilities, many nurses have expressed that they must heed their personal financial obligations, and have transferred or are preparing to transfer to other nearby state facilities that now offer the augmented salary.

This leaves the residents, who depend on the nursing staff for their very lives and quality thereof, at great risk. As family members of individuals with a developmental disability, we are very concerned about the impact this will have on the DC residents. The loss of adequate nursing staff can lead to many serious problems with administering medications and providing professional care which only skilled nurses can provide.

Decreasing the nursing staff may also lead to problems meeting licensing standards and affect federal reimbursement for the care of the DC residents, at present 49.5% of the total cost.

There is a critical nursing shortage throughout the country. Allowing a drain of nurses from the Developmental Centers to other state facilities, a drain caused by an extreme salary differential, is not the answer and will make this shortage even more serious at the developmental centers. This situation needs immediate attention in order to prevent serious injury and harm to our most vulnerable population.