More than 50 nurses held an informational picket outside of Rio Grande Regional Hospital in McAllen, Texas, protesting that the hospital's lack of nursing staff is endangering patients, according to a Monitor report.
Nurses have filed more than 80 complaints regarding the staffing within the medical telemetry and cardiac telemetry units since July 2010, according to the report. The nurses argue those units should have one nurse for every three patients. However, Rio Grande Regional, an affiliate of Nashville, Tenn.-based Hospital Corporation of America, has only one nurse for every seven patients.
Rio Grande Regional officials offered a statement regarding the picket and nurses' concerns, saying, "We believe this planned picketing is not really about patient care, but rather about the union's inability to get what it wants at the bargaining table. The hospital is bargaining in good faith and hopes to reach an agreement on a contract as soon as possible. In the meantime, we will continue to provide uninterrupted, high-quality healthcare to our patients and the community we serve."
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Nurses have filed more than 80 complaints regarding the staffing within the medical telemetry and cardiac telemetry units since July 2010, according to the report. The nurses argue those units should have one nurse for every three patients. However, Rio Grande Regional, an affiliate of Nashville, Tenn.-based Hospital Corporation of America, has only one nurse for every seven patients.
Rio Grande Regional officials offered a statement regarding the picket and nurses' concerns, saying, "We believe this planned picketing is not really about patient care, but rather about the union's inability to get what it wants at the bargaining table. The hospital is bargaining in good faith and hopes to reach an agreement on a contract as soon as possible. In the meantime, we will continue to provide uninterrupted, high-quality healthcare to our patients and the community we serve."
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Nurses at Florida's Oak Hill Hospital to Picket Over StaffingExecutives at Oregon's Good Samaritan Receive Raises, Nurses Picket for Comparable Increases
Experts Acknowledge Uptick in Organizing Among Registered Nurses