Healthcare Workers Union Calls on Providence to Keep Eureka Rehab Facility Open, Citing Bill Awaiting Gov. Newsome’s Signature | Lost Coast Outpost

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National Union of Healthcare Workers press release:

Eureka, Calif. — The National Union of Healthcare Employees is calling on Providence to keep its rehabilitation facility open, citing legislation pending with Gov. Gavin Newsom that would ease seismic requirements for hospitals. Providence lobbied for SB 1119, which would effectively waive seismic requirements for two years at the Eureka General Hospital campus, where Providence houses its Acute Rehabilitation Unit.

The bill, which passed the state Assembly and Senate last week, could be signed by Gov. Newsom later this month. But despite efforts by lawmakers to give Providence more time to meet seismic standards so it can maintain a key community service in Humboldt County, the hospital chain announced last month that it would close the rehabilitation center and transfer services to Brius Nursing Home.

Providence did not mention the bill in its recent press release announcing the upcoming closures:

“Currently, acute rehabilitation services are located on the Eureka General Hospital campus, but due to mandatory state earthquake (seismic) design standards, the General Hospital campus is not in compliance with these standards and will not be able to provide inpatient services after 2024.”

“Providence has no reason to close its rehabilitation center, and we urge the company to immediately reverse its decision,” said Kellie Shaner, a monitoring technician at St. Joseph’s Hospital. “Providence just successfully lobbied for more time to meet seismic standards, only to now claim it has no choice but to shut down a medical service that Humboldt County residents have relied on for decades.”

On August 20, 2024, Providence announced its intention to close its Acute Rehabilitation Unit in Eureka. The rehabilitation center provides intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy services — in addition to comprehensive social services — in an inpatient setting and is designed for people recovering from serious injuries, strokes, surgeries and illnesses.

Instead of providing the service directly, Providence announced it would partner with Brius, a nursing home company that has been cited multiple times by the state for patient care violations and controls a monopoly of skilled nursing facilities in Humboldt County. Rehabilitation services will be transferred to Granada Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, which was fined for failing to report abuses.

The plan to close the Providence rehabilitation center coincided with the decision to sell its Humboldt County lab services and close the maternity center at Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna.

“Since the acquisition of St. Joseph Health, Providence has continued to reduce services in Humboldt County,” said Willow Svien, an occupational therapist at St. Joseph Hospital. “As local health care providers, we are committed to maintaining care in our communities and will hold Providence accountable when it puts its bottom line ahead of the needs of our patients.”

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The National Union of Healthcare Workers represents 19,000 health care workers in California and Hawaii, including more than 600 workers at Providence Hospital in Humboldt County, St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka and Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna.