The largest nurses' union and professional organization in the nation, tentatively agreed to a new contract with one of the country's biggest hospital systems late Friday, in a collaborative effort for containing the spread of pandemics like H1N1 swine flu.

A system wide emergency task force of nurses and hospital representatives to monitor preparedness and set uniform standards for meeting federal, state and local government guidelines was agreed upon by the California Nurses Association / National Nurses Organizing Committee and Catholic Healthcare West.

The availability of protective equipment, communication and training policies, including other steps like off-site emergency triage and treatment needed will be overseen by the task force.

About 12,000-nurses in California and Nevada, including 2,300 at 5 Mercy hospitals in the Sacramento region are covered by the tentative agreement, which also includes a master contract for
28-CHW hospitals in California, including two contracts for CHW facilities in Nevada.

The new contracts also include 20% increase in wages, if they are ratified by the membership.