The nation's largest union of registered nurses provided the following statement in response to the Department of Health and Human Services, headed by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., slashing nearly $500 million in mRNA vaccine research:

Nurses at West Anaheim Medical Center in Anaheim, California will hold a one-day strike on Tuesday, August 12 to protest management’s refusal to address their repeated concerns about nurse turnover, which is impacting the quality of patient care.

National Nurses United has named Puneet Maharaj as the new executive director to lead the union.

VA registered nurses with National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United – along with veterans groups, federal unions, and community members – urged the public to join in their efforts to protect federal workers and veterans health care at the VA during a town hall meeting in Augusta, Ga.

National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses in the United States, today stands with Christian “Chris” Smalls, the American labor leader beaten and detained by Israeli authorities, and celebrates his release from Israeli detention.

California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee today announced the selection of Puneet Maharaj as the new executive director to lead the union. Puneet succeeds Bonnie Castillo, RN in this position.

RNs at Adventist Health Sierra Vista in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Adventist Health Twin Cities in Templeton, Calif., on the Central Coast, voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying new four-year contracts on July 29, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention.

Nurses at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., will hold a vigil for patients impacted by planned service shutdowns at their hospital. Nurses are planning for a solemn event to spotlight what this means for Kansas City patients and how the hospital’s ownership, HCA Healthcare, has mismanaged and cut resources to these units for years, laying the groundwork to justify their own decision to shutter these services.

Thousands of registered nurses at six Tenet Healthcare Corporation hospitals in California will hold informational pickets on Thursday, July 31. RNs hope to raise awareness in their communities about management’s refusal to ensure appropriate staffing and training, and the impact it has on the quality of patient care and the retention of experienced nursing staff.