As a nurse for 38 years, I have had the privilege to care for patients in a variety of roles including as a nurse on the front line at a neonatal intensive care unit in Las Vegas. From there, I now have the honor of leading nurse and physician collaboration and service initiatives like patient experience, nursing recruitment, retention and development for the Far West Division of HCA Healthcare (including Sunrise Health system). I can attest that HCA Healthcare is a nursing-first organization.
I was disheartened by the March 2 opinion editorial written by an outspoken labor union representative attacking my colleagues, our hospitals and HCA Healthcare. The article purposefully ignores the reality that all hospitals in Southern Nevada and our country are facing — a national nursing shortage that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the darkest days of the pandemic, I witnessed the extraordinary talent and compassion of our nurses, day in and day out. The care they provided to our patients during the greatest healthcare crisis we have ever experienced is inspiring. These are colleagues that have dedicated their lives to caring for others and their resolve has no doubt been tested over the past few years as many healthcare workers have left the profession.
What I have also witnessed, and what should not be discounted, is the massive amount of support HCA Healthcare has provided and the investments the organization continues to make to ensure we are able to provide quality care to our patients. The truth is that HCA Healthcare is known as a nursing organization that puts our nurses first and invests heavily into solving the healthcare workforce challenges all hospitals face.