Renown Nurses Hold Candle Light Vigil for Patient Care

Nurses at Renown Regional Medical Center held a candle light vigil to highlight hospital management’s continued reluctance to negotiate a contract addressing nurses’ patient care concerns. Nurses are standing united for nurse-to-patient ratios and other policies that will help recruit and retain experienced nurses at the bedside, where patients need them.

“I’ve worked at a lot of hospitals,” said Stu Talley, a nurse for nearly 24 years who has spent the last five at Renown. “I know that Reno residents deserve a community hospital with a stronger commitment to their patients and their hospital staff than Renown. Nurses and healthcare workers should have the tools and support they need to provide safe, high quality care.”

“For me, nursing is not business. Nursing is personal,” said Robin Marquez, who has been a nurse at Renown for 11 years. “I became a nurse to help care for my brother, a victim of Agent Orange in the Vietnam War. And it has changed my life. As a nurse, I can teach my children that one person can in fact make a difference, and now one of my daughters is also looking to enter care-giving.”

“It is really powerful to see so many community members come out and support us nurses,” Marquez continued. “We are fighting for everyone’s right to get the care they need when they need it.”

 Watch a news clip of the vigil