About 120 Providence hospice workers in Sonoma County are scheduled to launch a two-day strike Wednesday in protest of the health care giant’s proposed joint venture with a private equity-backed hospice company.
The National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents local Providence hospice workers, said it fears the new joint venture with Ohio-based Compassus will sacrifice patient care for profits and lead to bigger caseloads and program cuts.
“We’re trying to protect the level of care that we have — we don’t want to turn into a lousy hospice,” said Tim Johnson, a hospice social worker who is part of the local NUHW bargaining team…