At a public action on July 26, registered nurses at Ascension via Christi St. Joseph Hospital (Wichita, Kan.), Ascension via Christi St. Francis Hospital (Wichita, Kan.), and Ascension Seton Medical Center (Austin, Texas) will deliver petitions to hospital management demanding they take urgent action to improve patient care.

“Because of Ascension’s unsafe staffing levels and inadequate security protocols, nurses and our patients are constantly at risk,” said Becci Nash, RN in the adult behavioral health unit at Ascension via Christi St. Joseph. “Nurses continue to be assaulted at our hospital and in my unit. Our patients deserve to heal in a safe environment, and that starts with Ascension improving staffing through investments in recruitment and retention of nurses.” 

Following a historic one-day strike by 2,000 registered nurses at the three hospitals over a patient safety and nurse recruitment and retention crisis, Ascension – despite deep financial resources, including over $19.5 billion in cash reserves – continues to short-staff units. 

“Ascension management’s refusal to listen to nurses’ solutions have horrible consequences for patients,” said Monica Gonzalez, RN in the neurology unit at Ascension Seton. “Across all three hospitals, we’re seeing new graduates and temporary nurses take on full patient loads, despite having little to no experience or training.” 

After Ascension nurses authorized a one-day strike, Ascension attempted to intimidate nurses with a punitive three-day lockout, a move that undermined patient care according to local news reports. 

“Our patients are our top priority and we won’t stop fighting for their safety in our facilities,” said Shelly Rader, RN in the emergency department at Ascension via Christi St. Francis Hospital. “With the support of our patients and our community, nurses in Wichita and Austin will stand in unwavering unity until Ascension invests its enormous resources into fair contracts that improve staffing.”

Chronic short-staffing imposed by Ascension hospital management – a practice that began well before the Covid-19 pandemic to boost profits and executive compensation – drastically limits how much time a nurse can spend on each patient. Short-staffing also creates a revolving door of nursing staff, who suffer moral injury and distress because they can’t provide the care they know results in the best patient outcomes. Ascension is the second-largest Catholic nonprofit health system in the country. In fiscal year 2021, Ascension reported a net income of more than $5.7 billion, and the system’s CEO took home a compensation package worth more than $13 million.

The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing shows that in Texas, Kansas, and across the country, there is no nurse “shortage.” In fact, in Texas, there are nearly 128,000 registered nurses with active licenses who are choosing not to work at the bedside, while in Kansas, that number is almost 20,000. Nationwide, there are more than a million registered nurses with active licenses who are choosing not to work at the bedside because of the hospital industry’s unsafe working conditions. More data and information debunking the nurse “shortage” myth can be found here. 

Nurses at the three hospitals are negotiating for fair contracts that would improve patient care by improving working conditions for nurses. 

Austin – Ascension Seton Medical Center

• What: RN petition delivery to Ascension management
• When: Wednesday, July 26, 8:00am
• Where: 1201 W. 38th St. Austin, TX 78705, corner of Medical Pkwy. and W 35th St.

Wichita – Ascension via Christi St. Francis Hospital 

• What: RN petition delivery to Ascension management
• When: Wednesday, July 26, 8:00 a.m.
• Where: 929 St. Francis, Wichita, KS, 67214, corner of E. Murdock Ave. and St. Francis

Wichita – Ascension via Christi St. Joseph Hospital 

• What: RN petition delivery to Ascension management
• When: Wednesday, July 26, 7:00 a.m.
• Where: 3600 E. Harry St, Wichita, KS 67218, East parking lot near Harry St. and Roosevelt St. 

National Nurses Organizing Committee is an affiliate of 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.