Proposed Napa County Health Care Merger: Nurses Express Concern

CALISTOGA, CA — The last of three public meetings on the merger of two health-care systems in Northern California was scheduled for today in Calistoga. The proposed merger between St. Joseph Health System and Adventist Health System/West includes the merger of Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa and Adventist Health St. Helena.

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses United has expressed concerns about the merger's impact on patient health and safety and the available level of health and charity care services.

"The merger would result in a near stranglehold on the health care market in Napa County and that is never good for patients, nurses or the community," said MaryLou Bain, an obstetrics nurse at Queen of the Valley Medical Center.

Bain said the merged health care services would represent 87 percent of the market plans and cause increased costs and fewer services.

The public meetings on the merger have been held by the California Attorney General's Office. The merger would include four St. Joseph Health facilities in Northern California and five Adventist Health Systems/West facilities into a new, jointly held charitable California limited liability company called ST Network, LLC, according to the California Nurses Association.

Wednesday's meeting was scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at the Calistoga Community Center, 1307 Washington St.

— Bay City News Service