When Nurses’ Kids Are Sick
Kids Care Station at the Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, California, was started during the nursing shortage of the late 1980s to help retain nurses, according to Judy Wolstein, RN, manager of women’s and children’s health at Little Company. "The nurses love it. They can come up and have lunch with their child. It’s really convenient," she said.
The center is now open to the community as well, which is good PR for the hospital, Wolstein said, because parents who use the child care for sick kids often come back to Little Company for pediatric care. Most importantly, it remains a significant benefit for the staff. "The administration feels that it’s so important for their employees that we really haven’t done any formal studies if it’s affected absenteeism. I know it has in my units," she said.