Armstrong County Memorial Hospital Nurses Set To Strike

By: Patrick Damp/KDKA-TV

KITTANNING (KDKA) - Nurses at the Armstrong County Memorial Hospital say they're walking off the job on Sunday as part of a strike.

They say they're walking off the job and not returning until next Friday.

On March 2, the nurses presented hospital management with a strike notice.

"Healthcare professionals enter the field because we care," said Maureen May, R.N., president of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals. "We are the primary advocates for our patients, and we don't walk away from that role lightly. But we will send a message, via a strike, that you have to do the right thing for your patients and your staff. This is our message, to the hospital, to the public, that we've had enough."

Over the past year, more than 40 nurses have left the hospital for various reasons, including short staffing, compensation, and burnout.

"A strike is the last thing we want, we love our patients and our community, but we want to provide uncompromised care, and we can't do that when the hospital is hemorrhaging nurses," says Cassie Wood a 12-year nurse at the hospital.

The nurses and the hospital have been negotiating a contract since last summer.