Ten California Hospitals Anticipate Walkout by Nurses, Other Employees.

Byline: Lisa Vorderbrueggen

Jul. 4--Ten Bay Area hospitals are scrambling to put emergency staffing and patient care plans in place in case thousands of health care workers walk off the job for 24 hours on Thursday.

Four thousand members of the Service Employees Union Local 250, including licensed vocational nurses, nursing assistants, therapists, radiologists, food service and housekeeping staff, say they are prepared to strike at 6 a.m. Thursday until 6 a.m. Friday.

And if thousands of nurses and other "sympathy" strikers refuse to cross SEIU picket lines, it could bring these medical centers to their knees in one of the largest walk-outs in Bay Area hospital …