Nurses at Yakima (Wash.) Regional Medical and Cardiac Center held a rally Monday at local Milroy Park to advocate for good patient care, according to a Yakima Herald-Republic report.
The workers, represented by the Washington State Nurses Association, wanted to engage with the community before resuming contract negotiations, the report states. Nurses' concerns include recruiting and retaining more staff, as well as ensuring nurses have a voice in proper staffing levels.
In a statement, the hospital said a federal mediator has been brought in to help with negotiations, and it "look[s] forward to reaching a mutually acceptable agreement."
Yakima Regional's contract with its nurses expired in March, but negotiations were made more complex after Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems' announced intent to sell Yakima Regional and Toppenish (Wash.) Community Hospital, according to the report.
Renewed contract talks are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
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