MEDIA ADVISORY
(Marshall, MN) – April 15, 2022 – Nurses at Avera Regional Medical Center in Marshall will hold an informational picket outside the facility on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, to inform the public of the need for Avera executives to put patients before profits to address the understaffing and retention issues at the hospital and to prioritize safe and high-quality patient care. The picket comes as nurses at the facility represented by the Minnesota Nurses Association bargain for a fair new contract with the health system. “We are asking hospital executives to do what needs to be done to attract and retain nurses so we can continue to provide the high-quality care our community expects and deserves,” said Mary McConnell, RN at Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center. “Nurses kept our hospitals running and our patients cared for through the pandemic. Now it is time for hospital management to listen to and value our nurses, and to give us the support we need to continue to provide exceptional patient care at the bedside.” Poor management by Avera executives has created a crisis of understaffing and retention at the Marshall Medical Center, driving nurses to leave the hospital in high numbers. Marshall nurses are not leaving the community; they want to be at the bedside, providing the safe and high-quality care their neighbors need. But to do that, nurses need adequate staffing levels and support for new nurses, including proper training and orientation. To address the understaffing and retention issues at the hospital, nurses are asking Avera executives for better wages; for health insurance comparable to what other Avera employees receive; and for respectful scheduling practices that allow nurses to plan for childcare and to maintain a work and home life balance. Marshall nurses began bargaining when their previous contract expired in September of last year. Now, more than six months later, Avera management still has not agreed to a new contract to address the short-staffing and retention issues at the hospital and which would fairly compensate nurses. This new contract marks an opportunity for Avera executives to retain nurses currently working at the medical center and to attract new nurses to the community. The changes that nurses are seeking will help to ensure the Marshall hospital is fully staffed and thriving for the future. During the informational picket on Tuesday, April 19, nurses will take their message to the hospital and the community on the need to protect and strengthen the Marshall hospital. Members of the press are invited to attend this event. Details are included below.
- WHEN: Tuesday, April 19, 4:00 – 8:00 p.m.
- WHERE: 300 South Bruce St., Marshall, MN 56258
- WHO: Marshall nurses and community supporters
- WHAT: Informational picket outside Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center
- WHY: To call on Avera executives to put patients before profits
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