Hospital, Nurses Extend Contract Talks

By Chris Coates Staff Writer Nurses and management of West Hills Hospital and Medical Center and Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks have agreed to extend a bargaining agreement over the conditions of a new contract through July. Nurses at the facilities, owned by Nashville-based Hospital Corporation of America, had threatened to walk off the job after their contract ended June 30. The new agreement extends the contract through the end of July, said Jill Dolan, a spokeswoman for West Hills Hospital. She said a strike is not “in the picture” and hospital officials are hopeful of reaching an agreement. “We’re still bargaining . We still have another month,” she said, adding that patient care has not been affected. The union representing the medical staffers contend that HCA has under-staffed its hospitals, forcing nurses to work too many hours and putting patients at risk. HCA, which operates six facilities in Southern California, denies the charges.