Strong community support for Holy Cross nurses

Sunshine and solidarity helped ease the chill of icy winds at Monday morning’s rally by registered nurses at Holy Cross Hospital. Despite the frigid temperatures more than 100 gathered outside Holy Cross in Silver Spring, as the nurses were joined by area union, community and religious allies, as well as local politicians, many of whom had personal stories of how Holy Cross nurses have helped them -- or a close family member -- through births, illnesses and recovery. "It feels really good to have all the support today from people who want to see us treated right," said Registered Nurse Nina Scott (center, in yellow coat) who cares for critically ill babies at Holy Cross. "The only sad thing is how much opposition we're getting from management, and how they're really violating our rights." Click below for our complete report...
- report by Chris Garlock, photo by Korey Hartwich/NNU

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Holy Cross nurses approached National Nurses United last year to organize a union, concerned over insufficient staffing, management's unwillingness to listen to nurses' safety concerns, and a number of other issues they say endanger both patients and nurses. "I have seen expectant mothers wait for up to 8 hours unable to be moved to a room in labor and delivery because there are no nurses to take the patients,” said Joy Richardson, a registered nurse working in Holy Cross Hospital’s labor and delivery unit since 2005. Holy Cross Hospital, the eighth-largest employer in Montgomery County, MD., is owned by Trinity Health, one of the largest Catholic hospital corporations in the United States, with $23.4 billion in assets and profits last year of $89.8 million.

photo by Chris Garlock

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