Providence Everett Nurses to hold Town Hall to discuss possible strike

As nurses at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett continue to sound the alarm about the impacts of short-staffing at their hospital, community members are invited to a public Nurses Town Hall at the Everett Labor Temple at 5:00 pm on September 21 to hear directly from frontline caregivers about these ongoing problems—and the solutions nurses are proposing in contract negotiations with hospital management.

“After going to Everett City Council less than one year ago to raise awareness on the unsafe staffing in the emergency room of Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, I did not think that the staffing could get any worse,” wrote Kelli Johnson, RN, in a recent letter to the editor. “Yet, new lines are being crossed week after week and the risk to anyone who comes to our hospital seeking care is greater than ever.”

Nurses are currently negotiating a new union contract; negotiations between nurses and hospital management have been under way since April. While the parties are still at the table discussing proposals, the current contract expires at the end of October, leaving open the possibility of a strike if management cannot agree to reasonable staffing standards and compensation sufficient to ensure recruitment and retention of critically needed nursing staff.