LOS ANGELES, December 12, 2020 – “Southern California is in the middle of a crisis that is claiming hundreds of Californians’ lives every week,” said George Greene, President & CEO of the Hospital Association of Southern California. “Now is the time for everyone who touches health care to come together with a common goal: preventing workforce stoppages that could reduce the ability to care for people in need of critical services.” 

“Following recent news about threatened strikes in Ventura, Riverside and Los Angeles counties, the association – which does not normally speak publicly about hospital-labor negotiations – is compelled to engage,” Greene said. “Following discussions with multiple hospital leaders in Southern California, it’s clear that these are extraordinary and dangerous times, and no one should harbor any illusions about what’s at stake: a strike during an unprecedented pandemic puts people’s lives in danger.” 

“I must also be clear that in no way are we questioning any union’s right to engage in negotiations, including their right to strike, but now is simply not the time,” Greene said. “All involved must set their differences aside to keep every possible hospital bed open and ready – not just for COVID patients, but for every Californian needing care.” 

“Unions and management often disagree on many things, but they have never disagreed that patients must be protected, and that health care workers must first do no harm,” Greene said. “That must be the binding principle as we battle through the darkest days of this crisis.”

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About the Hospital Association of Southern California

The Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC), founded in 1923, is a not-for-profit 501(c)(6) regional trade association. HASC is dedicated to effectively advancing the interests of hospitals in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. HASC serves over 180 member hospitals and 40 health systems, plus numerous related professional associations and associate members, all with a common goal: to improve the operating environment for hospitals and the health status of the communities they serve. For more information, visit www.hasc.org.

HASC Statement 121220

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