SAN MATEO -- In preparation for a two-day strike by some 380 San Mateo County registered nurses this week, the San Mateo Medical Center announced it will reduce certain services in order to offer county residents quality care.

At a California Nurses Association membership meeting on March 27, the nurses authorized a 10-day strike if contract negotiations remained stagnant, CNA officials reported.

On May 8, CNA officials announced that the nurses would hold a two-day strike on May 17 and 18 in protest of the county's refusal to meet the nurses' contractual demands.

The 380 RNs affected by the negotiations work in the county's acute care medical center, outpatient clinics, long-term care centers, public health department, community mental health department and jails, CNA representatives reported.

According to San Mateo Medical Center officials, the CNA represents 263 nurses at the medical center.

"Our primary goal is to assure safe, high quality patient care to those patients we can serve during this work stoppage," Nancy Steiger, CEO of the San Mateo Medical Center, said in a statement. "We thought long and hard before we decided to make these service reductions."

Effective immediately, the medical center will not allow new admissions until further notice. In addition, ambulances will be rerouted to other, nearby hospitals. Patients who require emergency hospitalization will be transferred to another hospital after being stabilized at the medical center. The emergency room will be made available to patients who come directly to the hospital, officials reported.

In addition, the Keller Center for Family Violence Intervention will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. The county's Psychiatric Emergency Service unit will remain closed until Friday, and no new admissions at the county's Inpatient Psychiatric Service unit will be accepted on Wednesday and Thursday, officials reported.

All elective surgeries through Thursday will be rescheduled, as will outpatient procedures, officials reported. County outpatient clinics and the Senior Care Center will remain open, though some appointments may need to be rescheduled.

"We greatly regret any inconvenience this will cause for patients and for the community," Steiger said. "It is our hope that the county and the nurses' union will soon come to an agreement."

The San Mateo Medical Center will offer limited service until a contract agreement is reached, officials reported.

According to CNA leaders, the current wage proposal offered to the nurses is less than the cost of living index in the county, creating a significant impact on the county's ability to retain RNs. The CNA reports that the county has seen a 50 percent turnover rate of RNs since 2001.

The RNs are specifically asking for retiree health benefits, a new pension plan and higher wages, CNA officials reported.

According to county officials, the most recent CNA proposal was for a 29.5 percent salary increase over the next three years. The CNA's proposed wage increase would cost the county more than $29 million.

In response, the county offered the nurses a first year 6.5 percent wage increase for those nurses working in specific inpatient and clinic settings. In addition, nurses working in emergency and operating rooms and correctional facilities in the county would receive an additional 2 percent pay increase, county officials reported.

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. to further discuss contract negotiations with the CNA, county officials reported. The meeting will be open to the public and it will take place in the Board of Supervisors Chambers at 400 County Center in Redwood City.

Negotiations between the nurses and county began in late January and the nursing contracts expired on March 25.

Unless it is vacated, the strike will begin on May 17 at 7 a.m. and will continue until May 19 at 7 a.m.