Los Angeles County's five public hospitals are more than 25% short of the number of nurses they need to fully comply with state laws on nurse-patient ratios, and officials doubt they can substantially increase the nursing ranks anytime soon.
The data comes amid a bitter labor dispute between the county and its nurses, at least 160 of whom in recent months have refused orders from their managers to treat more patients than the law allows.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday November 04, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 53 words Type of Material: Correction
Nurse shortage -- An article in the Oct. 26 California section said temporary nurses who work at hospitals run by Los Angeles County often are paid $70 an hour. That is the amount the county pays independent nursing services that in turn pay the nurses about $40 an hour plus benefits and expenses.
Service Employees International Union Local 660, the union representing nurses, filed complaints Monday with the state, claiming that the county doesn't have enough nurses to safely care for patients.
County officials deny they are jeopardizing the health of patients but acknowledge they are not in full compliance with the ratios. The county says it needs 4,555 nurses to meet state rules but has only 3,361 nurses at the five hospitals.
John Wallace, a spokesman for the county Department of Health Services, said the state requirements are met "the vast majority of the time" by bringing in dozens of so-called traveling nurses who stay in the hospital for weeks to fill staffing shortages. When the county can't get enough traveling nurses, it closes beds to patients, he added.
Some nurses say the county falls out of compliance much more regularly.
Dr. Thomas Garthwaite, director of the county's Department of Health Services, said he is unhappy with the situation but sees little alternative. The county has struggled to hire more nurses because it pays significantly less than private hospitals and working conditions are generally considered more stressful.
"If it was unsafe today, we would take immediate action," he said.
County-USC Medical Center and Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center have the highest number of nursing vacancies. Health Services estimated that more than 400 positions need to be filled at County-USC and more than 200 at King/Drew.
Employing temporary nurses, who are often paid $70 an hour, "is just a stop-gap measure, hopefully," Garthwaite said. "But if you have nothing else, that keeps the place open."
The state-mandated ratios went into effect Jan. 1. They require ratios from one nurse per patient to one nurse for every six patients, depending on the severity of the illnesses.
County nurses have been working without a contract for a year and are increasingly citing the state ratios to support their cause.
