(Brainerd, MN) – October 28, 2025 – Nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) are once again outraged and deeply concerned after two more violent assaults on nurses at Essentia Health. A nurse at Essentia Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd was attacked by a patient last Thursday, followed by another assault at the same facility over the weekend.
The latest incidents come less than two weeks after two nurses were injured at Essentia Health St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth. Four nurses assaulted in under two weeks reflects a dangerous pattern in Essentia facilities—one that nurses have been warning about for years.
“For too long, nurses have raised alarms about unsafe staffing and the growing risk of violence in Essentia hospitals,” said Chris Rubesch, RN, President of MNA and nurse at Essentia Health St. Mary’s Medical Center. “These assaults are not isolated events. They are the foreseeable outcome of a system that refuses to prioritize safe staffing and adequate support for both caregivers and patients.”
Rather than investing in appropriate staffing ratios that prevent violent incidents, Essentia continues to respond only after harm occurs. Nurses have repeatedly brought forward evidence-based proposals at the bargaining table and in labor-management meetings—proposals that ensure enough trained staff are available to meet patient needs, de-escalate crises, and keep everyone safe.
Essentia has refused to adopt these proven measures, insisting that increased staffing standards are unnecessary. Yet studies show that delays in care contribute to patient agitation and unsafe situations, while appropriate staffing levels help reduce those delays.
This violence is preventable. Nurses have provided solutions, and the evidence is clear. What’s missing is Essentia’s willingness to act meaningfully. Every day they delay, Essentia puts both nurses and patients at greater risk.
True safety comes from care-based prevention: ensuring that every patient receives timely, appropriate attention from a fully staffed care team. Security systems and emergency tools play an essential role, but they cannot replace the need for adequate nursing staff to prevent crises before they occur.
Nurses are calling on Essentia to take immediate action to protect both caregivers and patients. That includes strengthening staffing ratios and ensuring frontline nurses have a direct voice in hospital safety decisions. Nurses must be included on all hospital safety committees and empowered to shape policies that protect those providing and receiving care.
Anything less is an unacceptable failure to protect the people who care for our communities—and the patients who depend on them.