The hearing into the public hospital's future comes after health inspectors found evidence of active pest infestations including rat nests, rodent droppings and cockroaches.
PALM SPRINGS — Nurses at Desert Regional Medical Center are urging the public to participate in a public forum March 5 on the future of the public hospital, which is currently leased by Tenet Healthcare, a massive health care company worth more than $9 billion.
At the forum, hosted by the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation, nurses will speak out about Tenet's failure to properly maintain the facility, properly repair critical medical equipment, and staff units.
“Right now, Coachella Valley residents have an opportunity to think about the future of Desert Regional Medical Center,” said Lonnie Ducote, a registered nurse in the emergency room. “Now is the time to ask Tenet to address problems in our hospital, including leaks and lesions, so our patients can receive the highest quality of care.”
Nurses have been sounding the alarm for months about persistent problems at the hospital, including inadequate staffing, broken equipment, chronic plumbing problems and rodents.
Last week, nurses posted video evidence of a widespread leak in a neuro-intensive care unit and a cockroach infestation in an emergency department break room. Shortly after, on February 27, the Riverside County Environmental Health Department closed one of the kitchens after inspectors found “signs of an active insect infestation.”
The inspector noted:
- Live cockroaches crawling on the floor, walls and convection oven in the rear cooking line;
- Rodent droppings and nesting marks in fryer cabinets on the front cooking line;
- Rodent droppings on the floor of the “disaster” storage room;
- rodent droppings in drawers next to coffee and tea makers; And
- Logs provided by the operator show that this is an ongoing issue and Tenet was aware of it.
“Tenet attempts to ignore and deny nurses' concerns about lesions and the state of repair at the hospital, but we feel an outside entity has verified what we know to be true: Tenet is failing our community,” Carolyn Ngang said. A- Registered nurse in the intensive care unit. “We hope that our concerns will be taken seriously moving forward, and we encourage the public to actively participate in the process of determining the future of our community hospital.”
Forum details:
What: Public forum on the future of the Sahara Regional Medical Center
when: Tuesday, March 5 at 6 p.m
where: Hybrid meeting
Personally: Miracle Springs Resort & Spa, 10625 Palm Drive, Desert Hot Springs, California.
hypothetical: Zoom in/out (provided by area); Webinar ID: 867 5729 2133; Passcode: 801738
Desert Regional Medical Center is a public hospital, governed by the health care district and leased to Tenet Healthcare through 2027. In September 2023, Tenet proposed a deal to renew its lease and purchase the hospital. The nurses are demanding that any decision on the potential sale of the public hospital be put to the voters, who are the true owners of DRMC.
“We have seen our advocacy move the discussion forward, as the region now appears to be moving away from selling to Tenet,” said Deb Edwards, a registered nurse at Desert Regional. “We would like to push this conversation further, to invite the region to seek a partner that is accountable, transparent and responsive to nurses and the needs of the community.”
CNA represents more than 850 nurses at DRMC.
Image sources
- DRMC Nurses: California Nurses Association
