RNs at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital gather to kick off bargaining

Registered nurses at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., will hold a rally on Jan. 14 as they enter into negotiations for their first contract since forming a union last year, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). Nurses say safe staffing and addressing workplace violence will be their top priorities as they start negotiations.

“Keeping our patients and our community safe is the No. 1 priority for nurses here,” said Jeffrey Shidemantle, a registered nurse in the ICU unit. “We fought to organize our union to make sure management knows that we are united on this goal. Nurses have made their demands loud and clear, and we look forward to bargaining a contract that enshrines safe working conditions and better care conditions.”

Who: RNs at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital
What: Rally for Patient Safety 
When: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 8-8:45 a.m.
Where: HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, 1000 Marwalt Dr., Fort Walton Beach, Fla. 

Fort Walton-Destin Hospital nurses voted to unionize in September 2025 as management refused to address a multitude of patient safety issues, including a chronic understaffing problem, the lack of break-relief nurses, and the systemic failure of the hospital to address nurses’ concerns. 

“Since winning our union election, we have already started making hospital-wide improvements,” said Cristine Corona Otero Octtaviani, a registered nurse in the surgical care unit. “We look forward to continuing to fight for better standards for patient care and nurse safety.”

NNOC represents more than 400 registered nurses at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital.

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.