Nurses at Tenet hospitals in Florida, California and Arizona went on strike Sept. 20, according to Miami Herald.
Five things to know:
1. National Nurses United, which has expressed concerns about staffing and other working conditions related to patient care, announced the strikes Sept. 17.
2. The strikes affected thousands of nurses at 12 hospitals owned by Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare: St. Joseph's and St. Mary's hospitals in Tucson, Ariz.; Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah, Fla.; Florida Medical Center in Lauderdale Lakes; Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree, Calif.; Los Alamitos (Calif.) Medical Center; Doctors Medical Center of Modesto (Calif.); Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Calif.; Sierra Vista Regional Med Center in San Luis Obispo, Calif.; San Ramon (Calif.) Regional Medical Center; Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, Calif.; and Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock, Calif.
3. In a news release, the union said nurses want the hospitals to invest in nursing staff "to ensure optimal patient care at their facilities." According to the Arizona Republic, they say such investments will help attract and keep experienced nurses as well as ensure patients receive the best care possible.
4. A Tenet spokesperson told Becker's the for-profit company's hospitals in Arizona, Florida and California were fully operational during the Sept. 20 strike, with other workers stepping in for the striking ones.
5. The spokesperson also said Tenet is "continuing to negotiate in good faith with union representatives and remains committed to reaching a resolution."