Nurses at Mission Hospital Rally Against Unsafe Staffing Levels

Nurses at Mission Hospital Raise Alarms Over Staffing Concerns

In response to what they describe as dangerously low staffing levels, registered nurses at Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C., are organizing a rally to emphasize the serious risks to patient safety. Scheduled for Thursday, March 6, the demonstration aims to bring attention to the life-threatening conditions associated with staffing shortages, according to the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU).

Gabby Taylor, a registered nurse working in the cardiovascular intensive care unit, expressed deep concern over the issue: “We are witnessing an ongoing crisis where patient safety is being compromised. Hospital administrators have refused to take meaningful action to fix the staffing crisis, leaving nurses overburdened and putting patients at risk. We cannot stand by while our patients suffer due to HCA’s refusal to address this crisis.”

Event Details:

Who: RNs at Mission Hospital

What: Rally for Patient Safety

When: Thursday, March 6, 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Where: Mission Hospital, 509 Biltmore Ave., on the corner of Hospital Dr. and Biltmore Ave.

Nurses have reported numerous unsafe conditions to hospital administrators, but their concerns seem to be largely unmet. A recent incident involved a patient with a newly transplanted heart who was assigned to a nurse already responsible for two other critical patients, compromising the care for all involved.

This situation is not unique. Nurses in the Heart Tower at Mission Hospital have submitted multiple assignments despite objection forms since the beginning of the year, documenting troubling and risky patient assignments. Despite awareness of these issues, HCA has not taken adequate measures to address the ongoing crisis, prioritizing profits over patient care.

“Staffing levels at Mission Hospital affect patients who are paying the price,” noted Kerri Wilson, a registered nurse in a step-down unit. “Nurses are being forced to take unsafe patient loads, and the hospital is ignoring our calls for action. We need real solutions now.”

Amid these concerns, Mission Hospital is in pursuit of redesignation for Magnet status, an accolade for nursing excellence. Nurses argue this recognition should be withheld, citing 10 immediate jeopardy situations—a significant federal safety violation—within a single year.

Hannah Drummond, a registered nurse in the catheterization lab recovery unit, criticized the hospital’s priorities: “A hospital that repeatedly places patients in harm’s way does not deserve an award for nursing excellence. Nurses are doing everything they can to advocate for patient safety, but hospital leadership refuses to listen. Instead of fixing the crisis, they are chasing awards that they should not earn because of their unsafe patient safety practices.”

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States, representing nearly 225,000 members nationwide. Affiliates include the 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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