Workers’ Rights Board to hold Sunday hearing on troubled Marin nursing homes
The Workers’ Rights Board, a project of North Bay Jobs with Justice, is holding a public hearing on Sunday in Novato regarding accusations of poor patient care and working conditions provided by the Novato Healthcare Center and the San Rafael Healthcare and Wellness Center.
NUHW-represented caregivers requested the hearing after the California Department of Public Health substantiated complaints of understaffing against both facilities, which account for one-fifth of all nursing home beds in Marin County.
The hearing will include testimony from nursing home workers and residents. Following the hearing, the Workers’ Rights Board will produce a report and provide recommendations to the management of the nursing facilities as well as to the workers and the community.
Both Marin nursing homes are controlled by Brius LLC, the largest and most notorious nursing home operator in California. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) blocked Brius from acquiring five facilities in 2016 noting that over the previous three years its facilities had racked up 386 patient care violations. In 2014 California Attorney General Kamala Harris filed an emergency motion in federal bankruptcy court seeking to block Brius from acquiring 19 additional nursing homes. In the motion, Harris called Brius CEO Shlomo Rechnitz a “serial violator” of nursing home rules.
The North Bay Workers’ Rights Board (WRB) is a public forum where workers can bring complaints against employers and institutions for violating their human and legal rights and expectations of fair treatment at the workplace. The Workers’ Rights Board consists of leaders and professionals of faith, labor, and community organizations of the North Bay.
What: North Bay Workers’ Rights Board Hearing on Patient Care at Novato Healthcare Center on Patient Care at Novato Healthcare Center & San Rafael Healthcare and Wellness Center.
Where: Margaret Todd Senior Center, 1560 Hill Road, Novato
When: Sunday, March 4, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. Doors open at 2:00 p.m. Event is free, open to the public, and wheelchair accessible. Snacks will be provided.
For further information regarding North Bay Jobs with Justice and the North Bay Workers’ Rights Board, see the website: www.northbayjobswithjustice.or