Unfunded and vacant positions within Health Services were eliminated during the initial phase of the Fiscal Year 2023 - 2024 budget development process. Unfortunately, position numbers 17428 and 17429 were unfunded while the Rehabilitation Therapy Services hiring managers were in the process of candidate interviews to fill the positions. The hiring managers therefore request to add two (2) newly funded Physical Therapist I positions so they can proceed with their interview process, make their final selection, and start the onboarding process with the chosen candidates. Historically, it has been beneficial to recruit and retain new graduates in the Physical Therapist I entry-level classification as the hiring managers have a teaching structure where they fully train their employees and help them grow professionally within Health Services so they can have the opportunity to promote into the Physical Therapist II classification.

  
In addition, according to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of the California Nurses Association (CNA), Section 33 specifies Safety which states that the County shall expend every effort to see that the work performed under the terms and conditions of the MOU is performed with a maximum degree of safety consistent with the requirement to conduct efficient operations. To further this goal, the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center’s (CCRMC) Intensive Care Unit (ICU) commits to utilizing Registered Nurses assigned to conduct transport duties for patients who are critically ill and transport patients who are on cardiac monitors to and from diagnostic testing and other procedures. This added assignment ensures patients' primary nurse remains in the nursing unit to care for their other patients and remain in compliance with the Nurse-to-Patient Ratio California AB394 and Meal & Rest Breaks California SB1334 laws. This service will be provided seven (7) days a week, eight (8) hours a day, and the nurses will communicate to the inpatient unit charge nurses when transporter services are available. The nurses will also assist and manage patients between units and departments, complete assessment and handoff protocol before transport/transfer, and other duties assigned.