Health

What used to be a simple dirt lot in a residential neighborhood at San Pablo Avenue and 65th Street, will soon be a haven for residents who share a common interest in sustainability and preserving the environment. From classes about urban gardening and herbal salve making to monthly crafts nights, the PLACE for Sustainable Living will provide Oakland residents with resources and knowledge on how to live a greener lifestyle.

Children’s Hospital nurses went on strike today after year-long contract negotiations broke down over health benefits. On the first day of a five-day strike, nurses on the picket line say spirits are high and representatives from a half-dozen other unions were on site to show support. Approximately forty nurses stood in clumps in front of the hospital on the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and 52nd Street, waving signs at passing cars. Dozens of cars and even a passing BART train honked to show support for the nurses

During a two-day conference last week, Youth ALIVE! hosted the third annual National Network of Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs National Conference at Oakland’s Preservation Park. Over 120 representatives from non-profits across the country met to discuss strategies on how to stop the “revolving door” of young gunshot victims who are treated at urban emergency rooms, only to return later.

Eating out is usually an indulgence, but for those dining at select Bay Area restaurants last Thursday, it was also a good deed. At locations from San Francisco to Oakland, a quarter of each patron’s check was donated to fight AIDS.

The Port of Oakland is about to start the construction of shore power connections at twelve of its berths, which will provide power from land to a vessel that is berthed or at the dock. Providing a land-based source of power is intended to reduce the amount of pollution from ships burning diesel fuel while they are in port.

A nurses strike at Children’s Hospital Oakland seems inevitable after the last bargaining meeting with hospital administration was canceled yesterday. After nearly a year of negotiations, Children’s Hospital nurses still don’t have a contract.

The American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter recently held a “Prep Rally” to encourage Bay Area residents to prepare for natural disasters, like earthquakes, that could occur in the Bay Area..

After nearly a year of contract negotiations, Children’s Hospital Oakland nurses and administrators are at an impasse over benefits and the nurses now poised for a strike. They will go back to the bargaining table early next week, but if they don’t come closer to a compromise, they will stage a five-day walkout starting May 5. The strike would be their second in the same contract negotiation cycle; Children’s nurses staged a three-day strike last October.

Nurses at Children’s Hospital in Oakland have approved a five-day strike amid contract negotiations with the hospital administration over pension and healthcare benefits.