Nurses Strike at Maine's Houlton Regional Hospital to Protest Staffing Issues

Nurses at Houlton Regional Hospital (HRH) in Maine are set to go on strike next week to protest the hospital's failure to address staffing and patient care concerns. The 55 nurses represented by the Maine State Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (MSNA/NNOC) have been negotiating a new contract for over a year, with the previous one expiring last November.

According to the union, the hospital's emergency department is facing severe short staffing, with only two nurses on duty to care for 12-14 patients waiting to be evaluated at the start of each shift. This overwhelming workload makes it extremely difficult for nurses to provide proper care, and the lack of available inpatient beds further exacerbates the situation. Nurses say the hallways are often full of patients due to the severity of their conditions.

"Taking care of the patients properly when we're short staffed is just not feasible," said Tenille Nason, an emergency department nurse at HRH. "We do the best we can, but it makes it very hard." Nason, who has worked at the hospital for two decades, believes the strike is necessary to force management to listen to the nurses' concerns and take action to improve staffing and patient care.

The decision to strike comes as HRH also announced the closure of its maternal services department in May, citing declining birth rates, staffing difficulties, and financial losses as the primary factors. Nurses say the absence of OB nurses in the emergency department has further exacerbated the staffing issues and puts patients at risk.

Despite the hospital's assurances that it has a contingency plan to ensure minimal disruptions, the nurses remain steadfast in their commitment to the strike, which is scheduled to take place from November 18 to November 20. They hope the strike will compel management to address their concerns and provide the necessary resources to deliver the best possible care to their patients.