Prime Healthcare and SEIU-UHW reach agreement on a new three-year contract at three Southern California hospitals

(Ontario, CA – August 23, 2017) – Prime Healthcare is pleased to announce that it has reached a three-year labor agreement with SEIU-UHW for valued employees in three of its award winning Southern California hospitals: Centinela Hospital Medical Center, Garden Grove Hospital Medical Center and Encino Hospital.

The agreement was ratified by the employees represented by SEIU-UHW. Employees represented by SEIU-UHW include nursing assistants, housekeepers, transporters, food service workers, and other service, maintenance and technical employees.

“Prime Healthcare has been committed to reaching an agreement that honors the work of our employees, and this agreement provides them the benefits they deserve for their dedication to providing compassionate, quality care,” said Prem Reddy, MD, FACC, FCCP, chairman, president and CEO of Prime Healthcare. Dr. Reddy noted that the largest of the three hospitals, Centinela, was acquired by Prime Healthcare in near bankruptcy and has since earned “Top 100 Hospital” recognition five times from Truven Health Analytics. “This agreement reflects our shared purpose and mission of saving hospitals, saving jobs and saving lives while giving back to our community through exceptional services and programs,” Dr. Reddy added.

The new contract will help to retain and support employees who are some of the most talented in the region. Centinela Hospital, Garden Grove Hospital and Encino Hospital are award-winning facilities that have received national quality recognition over the years. The hospitals are all recipients of multiple clinical quality awards, including Healthgrades patient safety excellence awards for the last two years.

“We are pleased we reached an agreement that rewards and recognizes our employees while strengthening our ability to deliver high quality care to these communities in Southern California,” said Mike Sarian, president of operations for Prime Healthcare’s hospitals in California and Nevada. “We greatly appreciate and value the hard work and contributions of our dedicated staff and look forward to a collaborative relationship with all of our unions.”

Since acquiring Centinela Hospital in 2007, Prime Healthcare has invested over $109 million in capital equipment and renovation, including an emergency room expansion currently in progress. Centinela most recently received the 2015 - 2016 “Quality Improvement Innovation Award”

from Healthgrades. Encino Hospital has consistently ranked as a “Top Performer on Key Quality Measures” by The Joint Commission, and established the first geriatric Emergency Room in Southern California to accommodate the special needs of seniors. Garden Grove Hospital has received many quality awards, including “100 Top Hospital” recognition four years in a row from Truven Health Analytics, an IBM company.