Nurses at HCA Florida Fort Walton Beach-Destin Hospital voted last week to join the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United.
In an election that took place on September 10 and 11, more than 65% of nurses voted in favor of unionizing. They are among the first groups of private sector nurses to unionize in the Panhandle area.
Paige Campbell, a registered nurse working in the emergency room, said the push to unionize was "a long time ago," but gained momentum last year. Campbell, who has worked at the hospital since 2021, became involved in March 2024.
Campbell expressed concerns about staffing and the loss of experienced nurses, and the lack of retention among senior and tenured nurses.
“There are days when we only have three nurses (on staff),” she said of the emergency room.
Campbell said there are nurses wanting to work, but are not scheduled. International traveling nurses helped fill the gaps, but the hospital has stopped hiring for those positions.
“Under staffing runs rampant,” she said, adding that she’s heard similar concerns from nurses in other departments.
There is a shortage of nurses nationwide, and the need is expected to grow. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 189,100 annual openings for registered nurses through 2034. The Florida Hospital Association reported significant improvement in the Sunshine State, with the turnover rate decreasing 45% from 2022 to 2024. In 2024, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed “Live Healthy” legislation that includes training programs to develop and retain healthcare workers.
A spokesperson for the hospital did not respond to questions about understaffing, but did give a statement about the union vote.
“We respect the right of our nurses to decide for themselves whether or not they want to be represented by a labor union,” the spokesperson said in an email. “The vote is not final until it has been certified by the National Labor Relations Board, and our hospital is obligated to thoroughly examine the election process to ensure a fair election was conducted. We value our nurses and the exceptional care they provide, and we will continue to focus on our mission to care for the communities of Northwest Florida.”
There are “a million things,” Campbell loves about nursing, she said. What resonates most is the connections she makes with the people in her care.
“If I could sum everything up, though, it's having the opportunity to be at the bedside of somebody who most needs it,” she said earlier this week. “In fact, very poignantly, I just got off of a night shift last evening, and I took care of a family, helped a loved one's passing, and I was able to be there with the family.”
Campbell admits that unionizing can be an “intimidating subject,” but she believes it will positively benefit the staff and patients at the hospital.
“The patient outcomes, the patient satisfaction, and just how well that hospital performs,” she said, listing benefits. “My biggest motivation was my mom and dad — they live in this area. My dad is retired Air Force, and still works on the Air Force Base Eglin. They are going to be here for quite a long time, and I desperately want them to be cared for in a hospital where the nurses who are caring for them have every resource available to them.”
