Note: Viewing some of these stories may require a subscription.
NUHW members Yvonne Gonzalez and Valerie Aquinaldo were quoted in stories by Univision and BenitoLink and the Hollister Freelancer, which covered an informational picket held on October 29 by NUHW members at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister. The workers are in the middle of negotiations for their next contract and seek wages that reduce the widening pay gap with other hospitals in the region, and the restoration of pension and healthcare benefits, as well as PTO days the hospital took away in 2023 when it declared a false bankruptcy.
Two in five healthcare workers report feeling their role is unsustainable, and one in four are considering leaving the industry entirely, according to Indeed’s “Pulse of Healthcare 2025” report. According to Becker’s Hospital Review alf of healthcare workers feel exhausted in their current role, with 50 percent noting that staffing constraints were the top reason well-being solutions were ineffective. Pay and staffing levels were also the top two reasons cited for dissatisfaction.
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat (North Bay Business Journal) wrote a story about Providence’s partnership with the private-backed firm Compassus to operate hospice and home health services. In early July, approximately 120 NUHW members who work for Providence as hospice workers in Sonoma County held a two-day strike to protest the planned partnership with the private equity firm, citing concern over future patient care. The hospice workers and Providence have been negotiating their first contract with Providence for the past two years.
Providence reported an operating profit of $21 million in the third quarter of 2025, up from an operating loss of $208 million during the same period last year. Becker’s Hospital Review reported that the company also saw an increase in its operating revenue driven by an increased demand for patient services.
In an effort to prevent harmful medication errors when patients leave the hospital, particularly those with complex treatment regimens, a new California law will require pharmacist-led medication reviews for high-risk hospital patients at discharge starting January 1, when they’ll check medication lists for errors, such as incorrect dosages or failure to stop unsafe drugs, Becker’s Hospital Review reported. Kaiser reported net income of $2.6 billion for the third quarter of 2025, up from $845 million during the same period last year, reported Becker’s Hospital Review. The system also reported capital spending totaled $1.3 billion for the three months ended September 30, up from $922 million last year. Kaiser Chairman and CEO Greg Adams warned of new and ongoing challenges in health care, ranging from an aging and sicker population to the impacts of the federal budget bill that will reduce health care coverage and funding as health care costs rise.”
