Wichita nurses join nationwide rally for better staffing

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Registered nurses at Ascension Via Christi Saint Francis joined thousands of other members of National Nurses United across the country for a day of action.

They say they want the hospital industry to end their profession’s staffing crisis by providing a safe number of nurses to care for patients. It’s an issue many hospitals are facing across the country.

“It’s time for management to listen to us, to take us seriously, to listen to their nurses. We know what we need and they haven’t been giving it to us and this is unity right here. The nurses throughout the country need this, we need to be heard, we need to be listened to so we can take care of our patients,” said Sara Wilson, a registered nurse at Ascension Via Christi.

National Nurses Union accuses the hospital industry of prioritizing money over patient care. It also says much of the staffing crisis and conditions in hospitals are the results of decades of actions by hospitals to decrease beds in units seen as less profitable.