Mission Hospital nurses protest after recent patient death

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Union nurses at Mission Hospital will hold a rally Thursday, March 6, after a recent death in the hospital’s emergency room.

The National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) said the rally would highlight “patient safety concerns and expose the life-threatening conditions patients face due to extreme short-staffing.”

This comes after Mission Hospital confirmed on Feb. 25 that a patient was found dead in a hospital bathroom. A spokesperson said one employee was terminated, and an investigation was launched.

“SUDDEN DEATH” OF PATIENT AT MISSION HOSPITAL LEADS TO INVESTIGATION, EMPLOYEE FIRED

“We realize there are many questions that need to be answered, and we are examining every aspect of this incident,” a previous statement from the hospital said, in part.

The incident prompted a press briefing from Reclaim HealthCare WNC, a regional healthcare coalition, during which several Mission nurses spoke about the recent patient death and what they call unsafe staffing.

‘WE NEED ANSWERS’: SEN. MAYFIELD CALLS FOR HCA TO SELL MISSION AMID NEW CONTROVERSY

“A patient who should have survived lost their life not because we weren’t skilled enough, not because we didn’t try, [but] because, in my opinion, we didn’t have the staff to care for them,” said Mission Hospital Emergency Department nurse Ashley Bunting. “That’s the reality of unsafe staffing. It could kill.”

Mission Health and HCA Healthcare spokesperson Nancy Lindell provided the following statement to News 13:

“It is disappointing, but not surprising, that NNU is attempting to capitalize on a tragic event and, without evidence, blame it on something other than what it actually was. As stated previously and despite what has been insinuated, the February ER incident was a result of hospital protocols not being followed by certain staff members and not the result of staffing levels. Those are the facts. But the NNU will likely continue these types of attention seeking tactics even though we negotiated over these issues and reached an agreement only months ago.

Every flier the union releases with a QR code to join shows their true motivation: more dues-paying members.

Our commitment to providing safe, exceptional care remains steadfast, especially since we have historically high numbers of patients with respiratory and flu-like illnesses. We continue to prioritize our hiring and recruitment efforts—adding more than 240 members to our team in January and holding more than 36 recruitment events over the last two months.

We are proud of our clinical outcomes, and the daily feedback we receive from our patients confirms the excellent care they receive, even in these busy periods.”

This story will be updated as more details become available.