Uploaded: Friday, July 27, 2000 5:30 AM

Official Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STANFORD AND PACKARD HOSPITALS REACH TWO-YEAR CONTRACT AGREEMENT WITH CRONA NURSES' UNION

STANFORD (July 27, 2000) - Officials at Stanford Hospital and Clinics (SHC) and Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH) announced today that the hospitals have reached a two-year contract agreement with the Committee for the Recognition of Nursing Achievement (CRONA), the union representing the medical center's 1,700 registered nurses.

The federal mediator's recommended settlement was ratified by CRONA's members during a vote today. The hospitals had already agreed to accept the settlement, which ends a 50-day strike by the nurses' union.

"We are very pleased our nurses will be back to work as an integral part of our patient care team," said Malinda Mitchell, CEO of SHC.

"Our nurses contribute significantly to providing the quality care for which our hospitals are known. We look forward to their return," stated LPCH CEO Chris Dawes.

Mitchell and Dawes emphasized that the two hospitals will continue to offer full services as CRONA nurses are transitioned back into their jobs.

Hospital officials will be meeting with CRONA representatives on Friday to discuss the nurses' return to work. It is expected that the CRONA nurses will return to the hospitals during the next week.

Patients or community members who have questions regarding hospital services can call the hospitals' information lines at (650) 498-4847 (LPCH) or (650) 723-7167 (SHC) or visit the web site at http://medcenter.stanford.edu/nurseupdate.