Registered Nurses at Corpus Christi Medical Center (CCMC), including Doctors Regional Medical Center, are set to stage a rally on June 17th, demanding that hospital management address critical staffing shortages, nurse retention issues, and the need for proper break relief. Represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), the nurses are protesting what they describe as HCA Healthcare’s failure to prioritize patient and nurse well-being during ongoing contract negotiations.
“The exodus of hundreds of nurses from our hospital in just one year speaks volumes about the deteriorating conditions under HCA’s management,” stated Marisa Lugo, an ICU RN at Corpus Christi Medical Center. “ICU nurses are routinely assigned triple or even quadruple patient loads, a dangerous practice when critical care patients should ideally have a maximum of two patients, often requiring dedicated one-on-one attention.”
With their current contract expiring on June 30th, nurses express disappointment with HCA’s approach to bargaining. They argue that HCA, despite being a highly profitable healthcare corporation, seems more focused on cutting corners than investing in the nursing staff and patient care. Nurses emphasize that their working conditions directly influence the quality of care patients receive at facilities like Doctors Regional Medical Center and the broader CCMC network.
Rally Details:
- Who: Registered Nurses of HCA’s Corpus Christi Medical Center (including Doctors Regional Medical Center)
- What: Protest demanding a fair contract that improves staffing, retention, and break relief.
- When: Monday, June 17, 6:30 p.m.
- Where: 3315 S. Alameda St., Corpus Christi, Texas; in front of Corpus Christi Medical Center
Jana Haley Rodriguez, an RN working in the 3 West medical-surgical unit at CCMC’s Bay Area Medical Center, highlighted the crucial role of break relief nurses. “These nurses are essential for ensuring uninterrupted patient care while staff nurses on twelve-hour shifts can take legally required meal and rest breaks,” Rodriguez explained. “Nurses are dedicated to our patients, and to provide the best possible care, we must also have the opportunity to attend to our own basic needs like eating, drinking, and using restroom facilities.”
HCA Healthcare, recognized as the largest health system nationwide, boasts a network of over 180 hospitals. Despite reporting profits exceeding $5.2 billion in 2023 and over $31.7 billion since 2018, nurses argue that these profits are not being reinvested into patient care or staff support. Executive compensation within HCA has also been reported in the hundreds of millions of dollars, while frontline nurses struggle with understaffing and inadequate resources.
Thomas Frist, Jr., HCA co-founder and a significant shareholder, is consistently ranked among the wealthiest individuals in the world, holding positions in the top 75 of the Forbes 400 Richest Americans and top 60 of the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. His estimated net worth approaches $30 billion.
The NNOC/NNU union represents approximately 745 nurses throughout the Corpus Christi Medical Center system, including Doctors Regional Medical Center, Bay Area Medical Center, Bayview Medical Center, Northshore Emergency Center, ER 24/7 Northwest, and ER 24/7 Rockport. Nationally, NNOC/NNU represents nearly 10,000 nurses within HCA facilities and is currently engaged in contract negotiations at 17 HCA hospitals across six states, advocating for improved working conditions and patient safety standards across the healthcare giant.
Correction: Please note that the rally date is June 17, not June 13 as previously misstated.
The National Nurses Organizing Committee is affiliated with National Nurses United, the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States, with nearly 225,000 members nationwide.
