RNs protest unsafe staffing and violence at HCA Florida Hospital

Registered Nurses at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital Voice Concerns Over Staffing and Safety

On Tuesday, June 2, nurses from HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, plan to conduct an informational picket. This action aims to bring attention to pressing patient safety issues such as inadequate staffing and insufficient responses to workplace violence, as highlighted by the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU).

Jan Riley, a registered nurse in the intensive care unit, expressed, “As nurses, our priority is to care for our patients and for our community. For too long, HCA has shown that their priority is profit. As union nurses, we have the privilege of standing up for ourselves, our profession, and our community, and we are using our voice to draw attention to the unsafe conditions inside of our hospital. We have seen an uptick in violence against nurses and staff, and we are demanding management make improvements, so we can care for our community.”

Event Details

Who: RNs at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital

What: Informational picket for Patient Safety

When: Tuesday, June 2, 2026, 7:30 – 9:30 am

Where: Near the main entrance of Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, 1000 Marwalt Dr., Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

The nurses argue that although HCA has the financial capability to tackle these issues, it has not prioritized patient safety. In 2025, HCA reported record profits of $6.8 billion, with its CEO, Sam Hazen, earning over $26 million.

According to Drew Davis, a nurse in the medical-surgical unit, “Nurses across the hospital have been documenting unsafe patient assignments which tell the story of consistent understaffing, unsafe conditions, and inadequate support from management. We will never stop advocating for adequate staffing and patient protections.”

In September 2025, the nurses voted overwhelmingly to join the NNOC/NNU, as reported here, and they have been in contract negotiations since January, as detailed here. However, management has not yet addressed the demands for safer staffing levels or measures to protect against workplace violence.

CNA/NNOC/NNU represents over 400 registered nurses at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States, with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.

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