Nurses at Research Medical Center to hold rally demanding immediate action on unsafe patient care conditions

Since the closure of perinatal services, the hospital has failed to adequately staff the ER and operating room to handle obstetric emergencies, pregnant patients, and newborns

Registered nurses at Research Medical Center (RMC) in Kansas City, Mo., will hold a rally on Thursday, June 4 to demand immediate action to address what nurses describe as dangerous patient care conditions impacting emergency and surgical services following the Sept. 8, 2025 closure of units that provide labor and delivery, neonatal intensive care, and obstetrics emergency care services. Several pregnant patients arrive at RMC every month, unaware that these perinatal services have been shut down.

The nurses, who are represented by National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), report ongoing concerns about inadequate staffing, lack of specialized training to care for pregnant patients, insufficient fetal monitoring capabilities, inadequate obstetric and pediatric emergency resources, lack of consistent OB/GYN provider coverage, and inadequate preparation for obstetric emergencies occurring in the emergency department (ED) and operating room (OR).

"Frontline nurses have repeatedly warned hospital management for months that unsafe staffing levels, lack of resources, and inadequate emergency preparedness place patients at risk," said Olivia Huggans, RN in the ED at RMC. "Patients deserve safe, properly equipped care, and nurses should never have to fear that preventable harm could occur because management failed to prepare for foreseeable emergencies."

Who: Registered nurses at Research Medical Center represented by NNOC/NNU

What: Rally for patient safety and safe staffing

When: June 4, 2026, 6-6:30 p.m.

Where: RMC, 2316 East Meyer Blvd, Kansas City, Mo., on the Meyer Blvd. public sidewalk

Hospital management has failed to implement critical patient safety measures despite repeated warnings from frontline nurses, including a protest and a vigil last year, about serious risks to pregnant patients, newborns, and emergency patients. Frontline staff say RMC has serious gaps in emergency preparedness and perinatal care resources, putting pregnant patients and their babies in jeopardy. RNs have filed numerous Assignment Despite Objection (ADO) forms documenting unsafe conditions and patient safety concerns.

"Nurses have advised hospital leadership and Chief Nursing Officer Julie Filbeck, over and over again, that staffing levels in the emergency department and OR are unsafe," said Elizabeth Hadl, RN in the ED at RMC. "These are not isolated staffing problems tied to one event. Nurses are being expected to manage ongoing emergency risks without enough staff, resources, or preparation to safely care for patients. RMC has a responsibility to ensure staff, equipment, and emergency protocols are in place to safely care for obstetric emergencies."

At a minimum, nurses are demanding:

• Obstetric, trauma-trained RN coverage on all shifts, including nights and weekends
• Immediate review of emergency obstetric response readiness in the ED and OR
• Readily accessible fetal monitoring equipment
• Appropriate neonatal emergency equipment, medications, and code resources in the ED and OR
• Clear patient-facing notification regarding the closure of obstetric services at RMC
• Immediate scheduling of additional RNs on every shift in the ED to safely respond to emergencies; nurses report ongoing and frequent unsafe staffing conditions in the ED and OR.

The rally is part of nurses' ongoing campaign demanding hospital leadership prioritize patient care and frontline safety over cost-cutting measures.

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.