Nurses Go On Strike At Lower Bucks Hospital

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, PA —Nurses at Lower Bucks Hospital —as promised —went on strike Friday.

Nearly 240 nurses were bundled up Friday morning picketing and holding signs at the Bristol Township-based hospital and Suburban Community Hospital in Norristown to protest wages, benefits, and staff shortages. (See the schedule for when the nurses plan to strike.)

They held signs in the holiday spirit like "PRIME is on the naughty list" and "Only a Grinch would take away our staffing."

The signs call out Prime Healthcare, a for-profit hospital company based in California that operates 45 hospitals and 300 outpatient facilities in 14 states with nearly 50,000 employees.

The nurses have been working without a contract since their previous three-year contract ended Oct. 12.

In late October, nurses at Lower Bucks Hospital picketed the hospital to protest the staff shortages.

Visit the PASNAP Facebook page to see pictures and videos of the striking nurses

PASNAP also recently learned of a report that Prime Healthcare is planning to sell three hospitals – Suburban Community Hospital in East Norriton, Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol, and Roxborough Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Tuesday that a Los Angeles investment bank circulated a note that three hospitals were for sale. The details from the bank match Prime Healthcare’s three Philadelphia-area hospitals, but it did not name them specifically, Levittown Now reported.

PASNAP said it has been in "contentious contract bargaining" with Prime Healthcare for months with no indication at any point from the management of their hospitals’ impending sale.

Prime Healthcare released a statement to Patch earlier this week that it does not comment on strategic merger and acquisition initiatives."

Lower Bucks Hospital spokeswoman Michelle Aliprantis told Patch earlier this week that the hospital has continued to "bargain in good faith with the PASNAP leadership to reach an agreement in the best interests of our hospital, employees, and, most importantly, those we serve."

She said that the hospital would remain open during the strike and that patient care would not be impacted.