St. Joseph Health nurses plan vigil over patient safety and staffing

Registered nurses at St. Joseph Health in Brazos Valley, Texas, are planning a vigil on Wednesday, June 24, to raise concerns about patient safety and safe staffing. The event follows a petition of no confidence in hospital leadership that was signed by hundreds of nurses and hospital employees, according to the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United, which represents the nurses.

The petition was prompted by continuing concerns about staffing levels, patient safety, and the effect of management decisions on the quality of care, the release said. Nurses said they are using the vigil to honor patients, draw attention to conditions that affect care, and ask hospital leadership to respond to the issues they have raised.

“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. She said recent reductions to services that support safe staffing, along with the termination of a highly respected physician, have increased concerns about local management’s commitment to the level of care patients and the community deserve.

The vigil is scheduled for 6 to 6:30 p.m. on June 24 at St. Joseph Health Regional Hospital, 2801 Franciscan Dr. in Bryan, Texas, with the hospital entrance on 29th St. Organizers listed St. Joseph Health registered nurses, staff, and community allies as participants.

Jessica Crouch, RN and nurse navigator at St. Joseph Health Regional Hospital in Bryan, said nurses want to reach a strong first union contract that improves working conditions and sets safe patient care standards. She also said patients cannot wait for contract talks to finish, and called on hospital leadership to act now and invest in the resources needed for safe, high-quality care.

According to the release, St. Joseph Health nurses have been negotiating their first union contract since April 2026, after voting to join NNOC/NNU in December 2025. NNOC/NNU represents more than 700 registered nurses across the St. Joseph Health system, including facilities in Bryan and College Station, as well as 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. NNOC/NNU said it represents more than 17,000 nurses at 33 facilities within CommonSpirit Health across the country.

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