HCA Fort Walton-Destin Hospital nurses vote decisively to join National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United

Nurses say decision to unionize aimed at improving staffing practices and patient care at the hospital.

Registered nurses at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. voted decisively in favor of joining National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), the largest union of registered nurses in the United States.

In a two-day vote, from Sept. 10 to Sept. 11, more than 65 percent of nurses voted in favor of unionizing.

"I am absolutely overwhelmed and elated that we are now part of National Nurses United," said Paige Campbell, a registered nurse in the emergency department. "We now have the opportunity to make real changes at our hospital so we can provide the highest quality of care to each and every one of our patients. We know that with a seat at the bargaining table, management must address our concerns. And while we rejoice in this victory, we know in the end, it is our patients who will be the biggest winners."

"We are so proud to welcome the hundreds of nurses at Fort Walton-Destin Hospital to our NNU family," said Marissa Lee, a registered nurse at HCA's Osceola Hospital in Kissimmee, Fla. and an NNU vice president. "Now when nurses stand up to advocate for better patient care, they are not standing alone. They are standing with 10,000 other HCA nurses and more than 225,000 registered nurses across the country. This is a fantastic day for our union and for the nurses at Fort Walton-Destin Hospital. We could not be prouder of you!"

Stills and b-roll of union victory celebration can be found here.

Video interview clips of HCA Fort Walton-Destin Hospital nurses here.

Nurses say they moved to unionize the hospital due to chronic short-staffing, unsafe floating practices, continual issues with broken equipment, and workplace violence. A national study found that HCA staffing levels were about 30 percent below the national average. Registered nurses say these issues make it extremely difficult for them to provide safe, therapeutic care in a timely manner.

"We know that HCA has very deep pockets, and could easily supply us with appropriate staffing and working equipment," said Lee. "But those sitting in the C-suites making the decisions don't concern themselves with patient care, they are only concerned with profits. As nurses, we are here to remind them every day that those people lying in our hospital beds are not just a number, but real people with families, dreams, and aspirations.They need and deserve the very best that we can offer them, and that means safe staffing."

Fort Walton-Destin Hospital is owned and operated by HCA Healthcare, Inc., the largest for-profit operator of health care facilities in the country, worth more than $90 billion. Last year, HCA CEO, Sam Hazen, made $23.8 million.

Notably, Florida is a very lucrative market for HCA. According to Medicare cost reports, from 2019 through 2023, HCA's Florida hospitals made nearly $15 billion in profits, including $616 million at Fort Walton-Destin Hospital.

Including Fort Walton-Destin Hospital's 400 nurses, NNOC/NNU represents some 3,500 nurses in Florida at 11 HCA hospitals. NNOC/NNU represents another approximately 6,500 RNs at HCA facilities in California, North Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Nevada.

Nurses will now move to elect their bargaining team and prepare to negotiate their first contract. In contract negotiations, nurses will address the same issues that motivated their unionization campaign.

NNU represents more than 225,000 nurses nationwide, including members at facilities in southern states Texas, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and Louisiana.

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.