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California Hospital Cuts Part-Time Work; Nurses Quit
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In 2022, California’s Pajaro Valley Healthcare required most nurses to work full-time, and about 90% of the workforce is now full-time. Its CEO says the previous model was “unsustainable.” Last week, nearly 100 nurses in the healthcare system protested this change, mainly because the requirement ruins their work-life balance.
Nurses say the decision has caused 42 nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital to quit, though the hospital puts that number at 29. The California Nurse Association plans to fight to restore part-time positions in upcoming contract negotiations.
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Recent Supreme Court Rulings Will Cause Preventable Deaths to Spike
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The US Supreme Court has recently laid down some medically questionable and controversial rulings, striking down abortion rights, cutting off temporary Covid-19 workplace protections, and ending handgun-carry restrictions. Researchers say these changes will result in nearly 3,000 more preventable deaths over the next decade: the Covid ruling was associated with 1,402 deaths in 2022, while the handgun and abortion rulings will lead to 152 and six to 15 more deaths per year, respectively. The researchers note their estimates are conservative.
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Confidence in Science Takes a Nosedive
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According to the new General Social Survey, the partisan stances on science and medicine that emerged from the pandemic have eroded the public’s confidence in science. Only 39% of respondents said they have “a great deal of confidence” in the scientific community — that figure was nine points higher in 2021. This drop is driven
by a decrease in confidence among Republicans. Another survey showed that the public’s trust in the US Supreme Court has also fallen to its lowest level in at least half a century.
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