Gaston Castellanos interviews Grace Arrieta, a caregiver at Prime Healthcare’s West Anaheim Medical Center

Frontline caregivers at Prime Healthcare’s West Anaheim Medical Center staged a midday picket on Tuesday, April 22, in front of West Anaheim Medical Center, 3303 W. Orange Ave., Anaheim, to address the alarming turnover rates and low wages that they claimed were jeopardizing patient care.

Organized by healthcare workers, including licensed vocational nurses, respiratory therapists, and surgical technicians, the picket sought to raise awareness among community members about conditions at the facility. The caregivers wore red and actively engaged in chants as they marched.

“We lost so many good caregivers who couldn’t afford to stay,” said Grace Arrieta, a licensed vocational nurse at West Anaheim. “It felt like Prime saw our hospital as a profit center and was happy to churn through caregivers, leaving entire departments constantly understaffed and patients struggling to get the level of care they should expect to receive at West Anaheim.”

Recent reports highlighted a significant exodus of staffing at the facility. In 2023, over 40 percent of licensed vocational nurses and medical technicians left West Anaheim, a staggering figure that far surpassed the industry average turnover rate of 18 percent. In addition, the hospital received more than double the statewide average in patient complaints and state citations, raising concerns about the quality of care being provided.

Despite reporting a $56 million net profit operating the 167-bed facility from 2021 to 2023, Prime Healthcare faced criticism for its pay practices. Current salaries for approximately 160 licensed vocational nurses, respiratory therapists, and medical technicians at West Anaheim were reported to be significantly lower than those at other regional hospitals. For example, caregivers at Keck-USC hospitals, also represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, received starting salaries that were, on average, 30 percent higher than those offered at West Anaheim.

The stark contrast in pay, combined with the high turnover rates, created a staffing crisis that caregivers said directly impacted patient safety and care. In the past two years, West Anaheim faced 190 patient complaints and was cited for 52 deficiencies by state regulators—issues they argued could have been mitigated with better support and compensation for caregivers.

The caregivers were hopeful that their efforts would prompt a necessary change in how the hospital’s management prioritized both its staff and patient care.

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The National Union of Healthcare Workers is a member-led movement that represents 19,000 healthcare workers in California and Hawai’i, including more than 4,700 Kaiser mental health professionals.