Nurses say neonatal intensive care unit needs safe staffing for infant patients

Registered nurses at St. Joseph Health College Station Hospital in College Station, Texas, will hold a rally on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Nurses plan to commemorate neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) awareness month and celebrate the dedication that NICU nurses demonstrate to the babies in their care, as well as raise concerns about issues in the St. Joseph NICU. Nurses at St. Joseph Health are represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU).

“We are a level 3 NICU which means we can keep younger babies closer to home who would be in a NICU for weeks, sometimes months,” said Brittany Jones, RN in the NICU at St. Joseph. “It is critical that these babies are close to home and with their families. When the hospital decides to not staff nurses in the NICU, everyone suffers.”

Who: NICU nurses at St. Joseph Health College Station Hospital
What: Rally & NICU awareness social
When: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 5:30 PM
Where: St Joseph Hospital, 1604 Rock Prairie Rd., College Station, Texas

NICU nurses at St. Joseph Health College Station Hospital have been sounding the alarm for more than a year about staffing conditions in their unit. Nurses have attempted to get the resources their babies need via all internal hospital avenues, including the hospital sponsored staffing committees, but have been met by management with excuses and indifference.

“What makes this so personal for us is that we already know how important we are to the community through volunteers, Ronald McDonald Charity, and the quilts, stuffed animals, and clothing made by local women who generously donate their supplies and time to make beautiful things for our babies,” said Lara Pruett, RN in the St. Joseph NICU. “They deserve the best from us, and we are asking the hospital to step up and recruit and retain more nurses”

NNOC/NNU represents approximately 750 registered nurses across St. Joseph Health system, which is owned by Common Spirit Health.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.