Press release from National Nurses United:
Nurses at Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C., will hold an informational picket on August 6 to protest management’s refusal to address RNs’ deep concerns about safe staffing and patient care. Mission nurses are represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), and they have been negotiating a new contract with HCA since April 2024 with little to no movement on key issues.
Who: Registered nurses at Mission Hospital
What: Informational picket for safe staffing and patient safety
When: Tuesday, Aug. 6, 5:30 to 8 p.m.
Where: 509 Biltmore Ave., Asheville, on the corner of Hospital Drive and Biltmore Ave.
On-the-ground contact: Brian Walsh, 828-318-9707“We’re excited to stand with our community and let HCA know all of Asheville is fighting alongside us for the future of Mission,” said Kelly Coward, RN in the cardiovascular intensive care unit. “We’re trying to return Mission to its reputation as a beacon among the hills here, where everyone knew they could get high-quality care. We need HCA to listen to us when it comes to what our patients need, and that’s what this info picket is all about.”
The RNs urge management to agree to a contract:
Ensuring high quality patient care with safe staffing in every unit on every shift.
Guaranteeing nurses’ patients are cared for while they take meal and rest breaks.
Empowering nurse recruitment and retention in an area with a high cost of living.“We’ve seen some progress at the table with HCA, but it hasn’t been enough,” said Hannah Drummond, RN in the cardiac catheterization lab. “That’s why we’re going to hold this informational picket on August 6 — to let the public, who are our patients, know what we’re fighting for patient care and patient safety in this contract.”
Nurses notified their employer of their intent to hold an informational picket on July 25. Their most recent contract, ratified in 2021, was the nurses’ first union contract and expired on July 2, 2024. Around 1,600 Mission nurses are represented by NNOC/NNU in the bargaining unit covered by the contract.
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