TAMPA, Fla. — HCA Healthcare nurses from across the Southeast United States gathered Thursday afternoon in Tampa, rallying for what they call "fair contracts" and improved resources.
The HCA Healthcare registered nurses in attendance are part of two unions: The National Nurses Organizing Committee (NNOC) and The National Nurses United (NNU). They gathered outside the West Florida HCA Headquarters to raise their concerns ahead of the 2024 contract negotiations.
Nurse Hannah Drummond said, "Our work environment directly impacts the health and well-being of our communities. Every single nurse here today got into healthcare to help people and help them heal, and we have to be adequately resourced to be able to do that effectively."
Drummond and the other nurses accuse HCA of putting profits ahead of its patients.
"They've manufactured a crisis where they intentionally short-staffed us to line their pockets with money and protect their shareholders while we watch our patients suffer," Drummond said.
“HCA is the largest hospital system in the United States, so the standards they set have impacts across healthcare in the U.S., which is why nurses are so disturbed by the way they handle their business,” Marissa Lee, RN at HCA Florida Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee, said. “When you’re setting standards for the entire industry, you should be continually raising the bar, not digging yourself a deeper hole to bury it in.”
Right now, HCA Healthcare has listings for roughly 600 registered nurse openings at its Tampa Bay hospitals.
Nurse Valerie Jean said the staffing issues impact her every day. "Right now, it is unsafe staffing, severe unsafe staffing," Jean said.
HCA Healthcare West Florida Division responded in a statement to 10 Tampa Bay.
"Today’s small protest by NNU is no different than their protests against countless health systems across the country. We expect that NNU will continue protesting and making unfounded claims about our hospitals and the quality care that we are proud to provide, especially as we enter negotiations for a new contract, as we will with this labor union next year.
"We are proud of the excellent care we provide to our patients, which includes earning 338 quality achievements for best in specialty for 2024 from Healthgrades, placing our facilities among the top of all short-term acute care hospitals evaluated."
New contract negotiations begin in the new year.