(Duluth, MN) – October 16, 2025 – The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) is outraged and deeply saddened to learn that two nurses were assaulted by a patient at Essentia Health St. Mary’s Medical Center. Both nurses required treatment in the Emergency Department following the attack, and the patient was subsequently taken into custody.
This incident is not an isolated event—it is the tragic result of years of inaction and conditions that put staff and patients at risk at Essentia. Nurses and healthcare workers have repeatedly raised alarms about unsafe staffing levels and the growing threat of workplace violence.
For years, Twin Ports nurses have raised concerns about inadequate security in regular labor-management meetings, yet Essentia has failed to take meaningful action to protect its staff.
Essentia has a troubling record of ignoring credible threats to worker safety, including incidents in which a manager allegedly threatened to harm striking workers with a vehicle and a paintball gun. While the health system has been quick to publicly condemn nurses and workers for engaging in peaceful actions and protests, it has remained silent as nurses suffer real violence while simply doing their jobs.
“No nurse should ever be assaulted for doing their job. We stand with the two nurses who were attacked while caring for their patients,” said Chris Rubesch, RN, President of the Minnesota Nurses Association and nurse at Essentia Health St. Mary’s Medical Center. “Essentia’s failure to address unsafe staffing and workplace violence has put every nurse and patient at risk. This violence was preventable. Essentia must act now to protect those who protect our communities.”
MNA calls on Essentia to take immediate action, including:
Implementing immediate safety reforms, including adequate staffing and clear protocols to protect workers.
Engaging directly with frontline nurses and their union to address ongoing safety and staffing concerns.
Our community’s caregivers should never have to fear for their lives while caring for others. It is time for Essentia to act—not with empty statements, but with real accountability, real safety, and lasting change.
