St. Joseph Health nurses to hold vigil for patient safety and safe staffing

RNs and hospital employees sign petition of no confidence in hospital leadership

Registered nurses at St. Joseph Health in Brazos Valley, Texas, will hold a vigil for patient safety and safe staffing on Wednesday, June 24. The vigil is taking place after hundreds of nurses and hospital employees signed a petition of no confidence in hospital leadership, citing ongoing concerns about patient safety and staffing and the impact of management decisions on the quality of patient care. The nurses are represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU).

"St. Joseph Health nurses have been sounding the alarm about cuts to patient care resources and unsafe conditions across our health system," said Tara Cassell, RN in the labor and delivery unit at St. Joseph Health College Station Hospital. "Recent reductions to services that support safe staffing, along with the termination of a highly respected physician, have raised serious concerns about local management's commitment to providing the level of care our patients and community deserve."

Who: St. Joseph Health registered nurses, staff, and community allies
What: Vigil for patient safety and safe staffing
When: Wednesday, June 24, 2026, 6-6:30 p.m.
Where: St. Joseph Health Regional Hospital, 2801 Franciscan Dr., Bryan, Texas (Hospital entrance on 29th St.)

The vigil will honor patients, highlight nurses' concerns about conditions affecting patient care, and call on hospital leadership to address critical issues raised by St. Joseph nurses.

"We are committed to negotiating a strong first union contract that improves nurses' working conditions and establishes the safe patient care standards our community deserves," said Jessica Crouch, RN and nurse navigator at St. Joseph Health Regional Hospital in Bryan. "But our patients cannot wait for contract negotiations to be completed. We are calling on hospital leadership to act now to address these serious concerns and invest in the resources needed to provide safe, high-quality care."

St. Joseph Health nurses have been negotiating their first union contract since April 2026, following their successful election to join NNOC/NNU in December 2025.

NNOC/NNU represents more than 700 registered nurses throughout the St. Joseph Health system, including facilities in Bryan and College Station and three critical access hospitals: St. Joseph Health Burleson Hospital in Caldwell, St. Joseph Health Grimes Hospital in Navasota, and St. Joseph Health Madison Hospital in Madisonville. St. Joseph Health is part of CommonSpirit Health, where NNOC/NNU represents more than 17,000 nurses at 33 facilities across the country.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.