ONA Statement On 'Labor Against ICE' March - 02/01/26

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - On Saturday, January 31, at a peaceful march in Portland organized by Oregon’s labor unions; workers, children, and community allies were tear-gassed by federal agents. The use of chemical agents against nonviolent demonstrators is dangerous, unacceptable and an attack on Oregon’s working families.

Peaceful protest is a fundamental American right. When federal agents respond to lawful, nonviolent demonstrations with force, they undermine public trust and put workers, patients and entire communities at risk.

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) strongly condemns these actions. We will not be intimidated, and we will not accept violence as a response to organizing, dissent, or advocacy. Attacks on working people are attacks on the health and safety of our communities.

Even in the midst of this aggression, ONA’s strength was evident. Frontline nurses and healthcare professionals immediately did what they do best: caring for people in need and providing treatment to those exposed to chemical agents.

Their response reflects the core values of nursing and healthcare—protecting health, safety, human dignity and human rights, especially in moments of crisis.

ONA will continue to stand up for Oregon’s immigrant community—by taking action in our streets, holding hospitals accountable, protecting patients, and advancing policies like the Healthcare Without Fear Act—legislation that establishes clear standards and accountability for federal agents operating in healthcare settings and our communities.

Please visit OregonRN.org/CareWithoutFear for more information and to take action.

ONA remains committed and ready to stand on the frontlines to defend all Oregonians from threats to their safety, health, and fundamental rights. 

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Media Advisory: Healthcare Workers To Hold Vigil In Medford To Honor Minnesota VA Nurse Alex Pretti (Photo) - 01/30/26

WHAT: Medford residents and the surrounding community is invited to a vigil honoring Alex Pretti and all those killed and harmed by federal officers. Alex Pretti was an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital who was shot and killed by federal border patrol agents on Saturday, Jan. 24 while observing immigration enforcement activities and attempting to aid a woman federal agents shoved to the ground.
 

WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 31 from 4-6 p.m.
 

WHERE: Medford Veterans Park, 1601 South Pacific Hwy, Medford
 

WHO: Nurses, doctors and healthcare workers from local hospitals and clinics, elected leaders and community advocates. 
 

WHY: Nurses and healthcare workers will not stand by while human rights violations continue. We will honor Alex’s legacy by continuing to stand up against injustice and hold ICE, border patrol and similar federal agencies accountable to ensure justice for our colleagues, patients and communities.

“A nurse's job is to care for their patients—but they are also ethically bound to speak out in the face of injustice and human rights violations. Provision 8.2 of the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses is clear: 'Where there are human rights violations, nurses ought to and must stand up for those rights and demand accountability.' That is exactly what Alex was doing … The Oregon Nurses Association stands in unequivocal solidarity with immigrant communities, with nurses, and with all frontline healthcare professionals across the country who are demanding accountability, and an independent investigation. Federal enforcement tactics that endanger lives and traumatize communities have no place in a just society. We call on all major healthcare systems in Oregon to stand up for nurses, publicly denounce this killing, and to hold ICE and similar federal agents accountable in healthcare settings. A nurse who spent his life caring for veterans was killed by his own government for speaking out. He deserves justice.” - Oregon Nurses Association Statement on Jan. 24
 

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) represents a diverse community of more than 24,000 nurses and healthcare professionals throughout Oregon. Together, we use our collective power to advocate for critical issues impacting patients, nurses and healthcare professionals including a more effective, affordable and accessible healthcare system; better working conditions for all healthcare professionals; and healthier communities. For more information visit www.OregonRN.org.

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TODAY: Nurses And Legislators To Announce ‘Healthcare Without Fear Act' Friday To Protect Patients And Hold ICE Accountable In Hospitals - 01/30/26

FOR MEDIA PLANNING PURPOSES 

PRESS CONFERENCE 

Healthcare Without Fear Act – SB 1570 
Friday, Jan. 30  
11 a.m. 
Oregon Nurses Association 
Third Floor Conf. Room 
18765 SW Boones Ferry Rd, Tualatin, OR 97062  

Livestream available on ONA's Facebook page 

WHAT: Nurses and frontline healthcare workers, state legislators and immigration advocates are announcing new legislation to keep Oregon’s hospitals safe and hold federal immigration officers accountable to the same standards as other law enforcement officers in our hospitals and clinics. 

WHEN: Friday, Jan. 30 at 11 a.m.

WHERE: Oregon Nurses Association Headquarters 

18765 SW Boones Ferry Rd, Tualatin, OR 97062 
Third Floor Conference Room 
Take the elevator to the third floor and turn right 

Livestream: https://www.facebook.com/OregonNursesAssociation

WHO: Oregon state legislators who are sponsoring the Healthcare Without Fear Act (Oregon Senate bill 1570) along with frontline nurses, healthcare workers and immigration law experts.  

Planned Speakers: 

• State Senator Wlnsvey Campos, Chief Sponsor 
• State Representative Dacia Grayber, Chief Sponsor 
• State Representative Lamar Wise, Sponsor 
• ONA President Tamie Cline, RN 
• ONA leader Stephanie Funk, RN 
• ONA leader Erica Swartz, RN 
• Isa Peña, Director of Strategy at the Innovation Law Lab 
• Representatives from Oregon AFSCME

Speaker lineup is subject to change.  

WHY: Hospitals and clinics must be places of healing—not fear, intimidation, and detention. In 2025, the Trump administration began allowing immigration enforcement actions in hospitals, clinics, schools, and places of worship—leading to violence, harassment, intimidation. 

In Oregon, federal immigration officers recently shot two people in a hospital parking lot in Portland and arrested an entire family while they were trying to take their sick 7-year-old daughter to the ER. Federal officers have also been bringing detainees from the Portland ICE facility and people injured in ICE actions to local hospitals for healthcare. Immigration officers have not always followed standard hospital protocols; creating very real safety and security risks for patients and staff. 

Federal agents have reportedly pressured doctors and nurses to skip recommended healthcare so they could discharge detained patients more quickly, refused to step away during private health consultations which include protected health information or sensitive medical exams, freely roamed patient hallways, and removed hospitalized patients against medical advice. These activities violate HIPAA, undermine trust in healthcare providers and our health system, and jeopardize patients’ care. 

The Healthcare Without Fear Act—Oregon Senate Bill 1570—prevents hospitals from being weaponized by federal agencies by requiring federal immigration officers to follow the same standards as other law enforcement in Oregon hospitals and clinics, protects patients’ and workers’ rights, and helps ensure all people can access healthcare without fearing for their health and safety.

• More information on the Healthcare without Fear Act can be found at https://www.oregonrn.org/page/CareWithoutFear. 

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MEDIA ADVISORY: Healthcare Workers Hold Candlelight Vigil In Eugene To Honor Alex Pretti And Hold ICE Accountable (Photo) - 01/27/26

FOR MEDIA PLANNING PURPOSES

(EUGENE, Ore.) - Healthcare Workers Hold Candlelight Vigil in Eugene to Honor Alex Pretti and Hold ICE Accountable 

Healthcare Workers Against ICE: Honoring Alex Pretti  
Candlelight Vigil  
Tuesday, Jan. 27 
5 p.m.  
Public areas in front of the Eugene Federal Building  
Near the intersection of E. Seventh Ave. and Pearl St. in Eugene, OR

WHAT: Local nurses and healthcare workers, elected officials, and community advocates will hold a candlelight vigil to honor Alex Pretti and all those killed and harmed by federal officers. Alex Pretti was an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital who was shot and killed by federal border patrol agents Saturday while observing immigration enforcement activities and attempting to aid a woman federal agents shoved to the ground.

WHEN: Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 5 p.m.

WHERE: Public areas in front of the Eugene Federal Building in downtown Eugene, OR 

Near the intersection of E. Seventh Ave. and Pearl St.

WHO: Nurses, doctors and healthcare workers from local hospitals and clinics, elected leaders and community advocates. 

Planned Speakers: 

• Chris Rompala, RN, ONA board member and executive committee chair at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart 
• Eliza Rotterman, RN, ICU nurse at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart 
• Representatives from the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP)  
• Lisa Fragala, Oregon state representative  
• Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudsen 
• Kori Rodley, Springfield city councilor 

Speaker lineup is subject to change.  

WHY: Nurses and healthcare workers will not standby while human rights violations continue. We will honor Alex’s legacy by continuing to standup against injustice and hold ICE, border patrol and similar federal agencies accountable to ensure justice for our colleagues, patients and communities.

“A nurse's job is to care for their patients—but they are also ethically bound to speak out in the face of injustice and human rights violations. Provision 8.2 of the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses is clear: 'Where there are human rights violations, nurses ought to and must stand up for those rights and demand accountability.' That is exactly what Alex was doing … The Oregon Nurses Association stands in unequivocal solidarity with immigrant communities, with nurses, and with all frontline healthcare professionals across the country who are demanding accountability, and an independent investigation. Federal enforcement tactics that endanger lives and traumatize communities have no place in a just society. We call on all major healthcare systems in Oregon to stand up for nurses, publicly denounce this killing, and to hold ICE and similar federal agents accountable in healthcare settings. A nurse who spent his life caring for veterans was killed by his own government for speaking out. He deserves justice.” - Oregon Nurses Association Statement on Jan. 24

• Read ONA’s full statement here.

Local elected leaders have also responded and are rallying in support of immigrant communities and healthcare workers. 

“We are heartbroken. We are angry. We are afraid. We are in solidarity in all this and more with our sisters and brothers in Minnesota and with all the helpers and healers across this nation who are aching with grief and who will still turn to someone in need; someone who needs their care--and wrap their wounds, soothe their pain, and serve with compassion and grace,” said Springfield City Councilor Kori Rodley.

“Alex Jeffrey Pretti was a an intensive care nurse at a VA hospital who dedicated his life to caring for military veterans and their families. This week, a life devoted to healing and justice was cut short by the actions of federal agents. My condolences go out to Alex's family, his community and the people of Minneapolis, said State Representative Lisa Fragala. “These acts of violence and aggression need to stop and I call on the federal government to end the occupation of Minneapolis and of all cities across our nation.”

Together, we can demand accountability for ICE, border patrol and similar federal agencies and protect our colleagues, patients and communities. 

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ONA Statement On The Shooting Of Alex Pretti, An ICU Nurse For Veterans - 01/24/26

Portland, Ore. — The Oregon Nurses Association is outraged, heartbroken, and profoundly disturbed by the fatal shooting of 37-year-old registered nurse Alex Jeffrey Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026. Alex was an intensive care unit nurse and union member at the VA hospital who dedicated his life to caring for military veterans and their families. A life devoted to healing was cut short — gunned down in the streets by federal agents while speaking out.

Our deepest condolences go out to Alex’s family, his patients, his colleagues, and the people of Minneapolis as they grieve this senseless and devastating loss.

A nurse's job is to care for their patients — but they are also ethically bound to speak out in the face of injustice and human rights violations. Provision 8.2 of the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses is clear: “Where there are human rights violations, nurses ought to and must stand up for those rights and demand accountability.” That is exactly what Alex was doing.

No one should be targeted by federal agents for speaking out. No nurse should be killed for standing up for human rights.

ONA members in Oregon are reporting growing fear and distress as they encounter federal agents in healthcare settings, particularly at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. The killing of a nurse is intensifying these fears and could create unsafe conditions for patients, their families, and frontline caregivers alike. Healthcare settings must be places of care, not sites of intimidation or terror.

The Oregon Nurses Association stands in unequivocal solidarity with immigrant communities, with nurses, and with all frontline healthcare professionals across the country who are demanding accountability and an independent investigation. Federal enforcement tactics that endanger lives and traumatize communities have no place in a just society.

We call on all major healthcare systems in Oregon to stand up for nurses, publicly denounce this killing, and to hold ICE and similar federal agents accountable in healthcare settings.

A nurse who spent his life caring for veterans was killed by his own government for speaking out. He deserves justice.

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) represents a diverse community of more than 24,000 nurses and healthcare professionals throughout Oregon. Together, we use our collective power to advocate for critical issues impacting patients, nurses and healthcare professionals including a more effective, affordable and accessible healthcare system; better working conditions for all healthcare professionals; and healthier communities. For more information visit www.OregonRN.org.

ONA Statement On The Detainment Of A Family At Adventist Hospital - 01/23/26

Reports by The Oregonian on January 23 and Noticias Noroeste that a family was detained by ICE while seeking medical care for their 7-year-old child at Adventist Health in Portland are alarming, chilling, and deeply shameful. No parent should ever be forced to weigh their child’s health against the risk of detention. No child should be subjected to this level of fear. Every child deserves access to quality and timely healthcare.  

Provision 8.2 of the Nurses Code of Ethics is clear: “Where there are human rights violations, nurses ought to and must stand up for those rights and demand accountability.” That is why we are speaking out. 

Detaining a family while they seek medical care for a child is unconscionable and does not just violate the ethical obligations of frontline caregivers; it violates the fundamental ethical obligation of healthcare institutions.  

ONA members—nurses and frontline caregivers across Oregon—have been warning for months about the devastating consequences of ICE enforcement occurring in or near hospitals. Hospitals must be places of healing, safety, and trust. When that trust is broken, families delay care or avoid it altogether, turning preventable and treatable conditions into life-threatening emergencies. For children, the consequences of delayed or denied care are especially severe. 

When law enforcement actions intrude into medical spaces, patient care is compromised—and in this case, a child’s well-being was placed at risk. This unjustified action raises urgent and disturbing questions that demand answers. Did the child ever receive the healthcare they needed? What capacity does ICE have to ensure the medical stability of a child whose parents sought emergency care in a hospital setting? Who assumed responsibility for the child’s health and safety once the family was detained, and under what clinical standards? These are not abstract concerns; they are matters of life, health, and basic human dignity. 

ONA calls on Oregon’s healthcare executives, hospital systems, and elected officials at every level to forcefully put an end to this heinous practice and to take immediate action to ensure that hospitals remain safe spaces for all families, without exception. ONA will continue to stand with immigrant communities, our patients, our families, and caregivers to demand accountability and protect access to care for all. 

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Oregon Nurses Association Condemns Violence By Federal Agents, Demands Accountability After Portland Shooting - 01/09/26

Portland, Ore. - The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is saddened and deeply disturbed by the shooting of two individuals by federal agents in Portland. We are closely monitoring developments as more information becomes available. Our hearts are with the victims and their families, and we hope for their full recovery.

As frontline healthcare workers, we are entrusted with a fundamental responsibility: to protect life, reduce harm, and provide the highest level of care possible—without exception. While this responsibility most often involves caring for our patient’s physical health, it also requires us to speak out when people’s safety and well-being are threatened.

The presence of federal agents in our communities endangers the safety and well-being of Oregonians. These agencies have demonstrated a troubling pattern of unjustified violence, harassment without accountability, and the detention of individuals without cause. This must stop. Their actions spread fear, cause harm, and put lives at risk.

Oregonians deserve better. Immigrant communities deserve better. No one’s life should be placed in jeopardy by a federal agency, and no one should have to live in fear.

ONA calls on the Department of Homeland Security to listen to local leaders, immediately cease operations in Oregon, and ensure a comprehensive, independent investigation into this shooting. At the same time, we join Oregon’s elected officials in calling for a calm, peaceful response that reflects our shared commitment to justice, dignity, and the power of collective action.

As frontline caregivers, we are rooted in the communities we serve, and we bear witness to the consequences of violence and fear every day. We will continue to stand up for the safety of all people, inside our hospitals and clinics and beyond their walls.

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) represents a diverse community of more than 24,000 nurses and healthcare professionals throughout Oregon. Together, we use our collective power to advocate for critical issues impacting patients, nurses and healthcare professionals including a more effective, affordable and accessible healthcare system; better working conditions for all healthcare professionals; and healthier communities. For more information visit www.OregonRN.org.

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Oregon Nurses Call On Legacy Health To Sign Binding Agreement After Ignoring ICE Concerns - 01/08/26

Portland, Ore. — On December 10, the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) sent a letter to Legacy Health requesting an urgent meeting to address the growing and deeply troubling practice of ICE bringing detained individuals to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. More than four weeks later, Legacy failed to provide a substantive response. As a result, ONA is calling on the health system to immediately sign a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to protect the rights, safety, and privacy of people in ICE custody.

The December 10 letter, addressed to Legacy Emanuel President Bahaa Wanley, outlined serious concerns raised by bedside nurses that Legacy is failing to uphold fundamental patient rights. These include patient confidentiality, patients’ ability to participate in decisions about their own care, and compliance with the Oregon Nurse Practice Act. The letter called for safeguards to protect patient rights and ensure legal compliance when ICE is present in the hospital.

“Legacy’s silence and lack of response is deeply concerning,” said Peter Starzynski, spokesperson for ONA. “When ICE activity interferes with patient care, frontline caregivers are placed in an impossible position—forced to choose between their ethical obligations and unclear or unsafe practices. Legacy has refused even the most basic step of meeting with us to address these concerns and ensure ICE is held accountable.”

In light of the recent killing of Renee Nicole Good by ICE agents Minneapolis, it is clear that ICE’s violence is escalating without any real accountability. This reality makes Legacy Health’s responsibility to act to protect patients and staff even more urgent—and further underscores the need for a formal agreement with ONA to protect patients, uphold ethical care standards, and ensure the safety of frontline caregivers.

The MOU

The proposed MOU would establish clear, enforceable standards at Legacy Emanuel, including:

• Requiring ICE and all federal law enforcement to comply with legal requirements before questioning, searching, or detaining anyone in a hospital.
• Preserving patient privacy by restricting law enforcement access to clinical spaces without proper legal authority.
• Reaffirming that law enforcement is never the medical decision-maker and may not interrupt or terminate care.
• Upholding HIPAA protections for all patients, including those in custody
• Providing patient education, interpreter access, and connections to legal and social services.
• Creating a joint labor–management committee to oversee implementation and training.
• Guaranteeing non-retaliation for nurses who advocate for patient safety, privacy, and ethical care.

You can read the full MOU here and the accompanying letter here.

“What we’re asking for are simple, commonsense healthcare practices,” Starzynski said. “Nurses and other frontline caregivers need to be able to do their jobs ethically and legally. Every patient—regardless of immigration status—deserves dignity, privacy, safe medical care, and a full understanding of their rights. Right now, those standards are not being met for people in ICE custody at Legacy Emanuel.”

ONA urges Legacy Health to immediately commit to the proposed MOU, so caregivers can provide consistent, lawful, and compassionate care to every patient who enters its facilities.

ONA’s mission is clear: we exist to protect patient privacy, uphold human dignity, and provide equitable care to every person who walks through the doors of the hospitals and clinics where we work. ICE’s targeting of immigrant communities is wrong and fundamentally inconsistent with these values. These actions—whether carried out or threatened—create fear that prevents people from going to work, moving freely in their communities, and seeking medical care when they need it most.  That fear directly undermines the core principles of being a frontline nurse, provider, or caregiver.

The more than 24,000 represented healthcare professionals of the Oregon Nurses Association are steadfast in ensuring that Oregon’s healthcare system remains a place of healing—never an extension of law enforcement—where all people, regardless of immigration status, can receive care without fear.

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) represents a diverse community of more than 24,000 nurses and healthcare professionals throughout Oregon. Together, we use our collective power to advocate for critical issues impacting patients, nurses and healthcare professionals including a more effective, affordable and accessible healthcare system; better working conditions for all healthcare professionals; and healthier communities. For more information visit www.OregonRN.org.

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ONA Statement On The Killing Of Renee Nicole Good By ICE In Minneapolis - 01/07/26

PORTLAND, Ore. - As frontline healthcare workers, we are entrusted with a fundamental responsibility: to preserve life, reduce harm, and provide care with dignity—without exception. The killing of Renee Nicole Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minneapolis is a devastating violation of those principles and a stark example of the unchecked harm ICE continues to inflict on our communities. Our hearts go out to the victim and her family, and we extend our deepest sympathies during this profound moment of loss.

The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) unequivocally condemns this senseless act of violence and demands full transparency from the Department of Homeland Security, including a thorough, independent investigation. We call for an immediate end to ICE’s operations in our communities and for meaningful oversight of an agency that has repeatedly demonstrated it cannot be trusted to police itself.

The videos emerging from Minneapolis are chilling. When state violence occurs, it is the nurses and other frontline caregivers who are called to respond to stop the bleeding, manage the trauma, and comfort families. ICE, meanwhile, operates with extraordinary power and little accountability—bringing lethal force into communities in Oregon and across the country, while evading the transparency and consequences required of other agencies or institutions.

This killing did not happen in a vacuum. ICE’s routine use of intimidation and force creates widespread fear that keeps immigrant communities from seeking medical care, delays treatment until conditions become life-threatening, and causes lasting psychological trauma. That fear directly interferes with frontline healthcare workers’ ability to carry out our professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities. A system that drives patients into hiding is not protecting public safety—it is actively endangering lives.

As frontline healthcare workers, we see the consequences of these actions every day, and this killing only deepens the harm. ICE’s tactics have pushed immigrant communities into crisis—a reality fundamentally at odds with our commitment as frontline caregivers. Immigrants are vital members of our state and our healthcare system, and they deserve the same rights and protections as everyone else. ONA stands in solidarity with immigrant communities and communities of color who are directly and indirectly harmed by ICE’s actions.

We cannot fulfill our duty to care for patients while ICE continues to operate as an unaccountable force that threatens the very communities we are sworn to protect and serve. 

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Asante Is Creating A Staffing Crisis By Refusing To Follow Nurses’ Contract And Oregon Law (Photo) - 01/06/26

MEDFORD, Ore. - A new policy at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center (AARMC) is leaving hospital units short staffed and putting patients at risk as managers turn away nurses who are ready to work. In early December, Asante chief nursing officer (CNO) Julie Bowman and hospital administration began requiring nurses to sign away their rights to overtime or incentive pay when doing extra work to cover the hospital’s staffing shortages. 

As a result, dozens of nursing shifts are going unfilled every day—leading to real impacts for patients and the community. Over the holidays, Asante’s emergency department and neonatal intensive care unit were short significant numbers of staff and the IMCU/critical care unit was forced to close due to staffing shortages—requiring vulnerable patients to be relocated to other units.  

Asante’s contract with nurses outlines overtime and incentive compensation for nurses who volunteer for extra shifts to fill staffing shortages. However, Asante is now requiring registered nurses to sign a waiver giving up their legal and contractual rights to overtime and incentive pay before allowing nurses to fill critical vacancies.  

“Nurses are willing to sacrifice our personal time to be there for patients and families and fill the gaps in Asante’s schedule,” said Fred Katz, RN, ONA bargaining unit chair at Rogue Regional. “But we expect Asante to keep its word to healthcare workers who are going above and beyond. Asante needs to honor the contract incentives it agreed to for nurses willing to work extra shifts and ultimately hire more nurses so we can give the community the care it expects.” 

Requiring nurses to forfeit their rights goes against the hospital’s contract and raises serious moral questions about its commitment to safe staffing and patient safety. The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) has filed a grievance, noting that nurse managers are knowingly violating agreed upon staffing plans. The grievance calls upon Asante to drop all practices and policies that create barriers to safe patient care and violate the nurse staffing law.

“The incentives were developed to encourage workers to fill in holes in the schedule ahead of time to assure safe staffing. In the last contract negotiations, ONA agreed to reduce incentives given some improvements in staffing post-Covid. Now, the hospital is making every effort to break their contractual obligation, even when staffing ratios are falling below the levels defined in the safe staffing law. Nurses should not be forced to accept unsafe staffing conditions or assignments in order to maintain a healthy profit margin for the hospital," said Katz. 

“Nurses will not forgo the hard fought for and earned benefits outlined in their contract. The hospital attorney can claim to interpret the law but nurses know their contract. We know what the hospital has agreed to, just like we know the verbiage of the staffing law. We do not leave these things to interpretation for profit taking as the hospital’s administration and lawyer has done repeatedly."

Local emergency room nurses are circulating a petition to Asante leadership highlighting their concerns about unsafe staffing in the ER and the effects of forcing workers to forfeit their rights to agreed-upon pay. The petition says in part:

“We are deeply concerned that staffing vacancies are being intentionally left open despite qualified staff offering to cover, despite our patient volumes being as high as they’ve ever been. We are also concerned that Asante is choosing not to hire nurses and emergency technician for positions that are open because of turnover, creating shadow vacancies that result in more open shifts ... We strongly urge leadership to address this issue promptly to mitigate patient safety risk” 

Nurses are concerned because short staffing puts patients at greater risk of harm, results in longer wait times and increases the chance of missed care along with accelerating healthcare provider burnout and turnover. 

If Asante continues refusing to fill vacancies with willing nurses, it will continue violating hospital staffing plans and incurring financial penalties. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has repeatedly investigated Asante for staffing violations and found 125 staffing law violations and counting since June 5, 2025. OHA has proposed fining ARRMC more than $34,000 for staffing law violations that occurred in June 2025 alone. OHA is expted to assess additional penalties as it completes its work on complaints from July to the present.  

ONA represents more than 1200 registered nurses working at ARRMC. It is the only critical access hospital for hundreds of miles and serves rural communities from the South Coast to Northern California. In early December, Asante announced it was turning Ashland Community Hospital into a satellite campus and eliminating inpatient admissions and the birth center. The change will force more patients to travel to Medford for care and increase the strain on the current workforce. Asante says the changes are needed to ensure financial stability, but in 2024 the hospital made more than $64 million. 

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