UPDATE: Earlier this week California’s Department of Public Health halted the staffing waivers. The State says they will not accept any new applications and all approved waivers will expire February 8, unless a hospital can prove “unprecedented circumstances.”

Because hospitals are crowded due to COVID-19, California's Department of Public Health is allowing healthcare facilities to increase the number of patients a nurse can care for on a shift. This has some nurses in Sonoma County really worried.

Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital received a staffing waiver in mid-December. The waiver means the hospital could increase the number of patients a nurse cares for if the administration feels it’s necessary. Dozens of nurses from Sutter Santa Rosa  drove around the city last Wednesday protesting the staffing waiver. The action was organized by the California Nurses Association.  KRCB’s Tessa Paoli has more.

(Photo courtesy of the California Nurses Association)