HAWAII, Hawaii (KHON2) — Nurses at Queen’s North Hawaiʻi Community Hospital held an informational picket on the morning of May 17, citing “unfair treatment and the lack of progress on a new contract.”
Almost 100 nurses represented by the Hawaiʻi Nurses’ Association work at the hospital, and HNA says they have been trying to negotiate for a contract since December 2024.
The nurses’ contract expired at the end of March, with HNA saying their goal is to raise the standards of patient care on the Big Island so that it is comparable to the patient care at the Oʻahu Queen’s locations.
“This is a health equity issue. We believe there should be one standard of care across the state,” said Rosalee Agas-Yuu, an RN and president of HNA. “Neighbor island residents already face challenges with access to quality care. When North Hawaiʻi residents are admitted to Queen’s in Waimea, they deserve to receive the same quality of care as those Oʻahu.”
The union says that nurse-to-patient ratios are off, saying that there are not enough nurses to provide proper attention and care to patients’ needs. As a result, HNA says that the staffing ratios lead to a diminished quality of care.
“The nurses in the infusion/oncology department administer hazardous drugs and blood products everyday. Per hospital policy, there must be dual verification of hazardous drugs and blood products,” said Elizabeth Taipe, an RN in that department. “There are times when there are only two infusion nurses scheduled or employed. On these days, patient care can be delayed because we don’t have adequate staff to check chemotherapy and blood products.”
For nurses like Chaden Shimaoka-Bello who works in the medical-surgical department, their contract is not just about patient care, but also about the safety of patients and staff alike.
“We’re encountering more patients in severely distressed and agitated mental states. Patients who are not responsive to de-escalation techniques, environmental control or therapeutic communication. These are the exact moments when adequate staffing is not just important, but essential — for both patient and employee safety,” Shimaoka-Bello said.
In a statement, Queen’s said that they are committed to working with HNA on getting a new contract, and respects their workers’ right to participate in lawful protected activities like picketing.
“Our pledge throughout those negotiations has been to bargain in good faith to reach a mutually acceptable agreement that provides wage increases and other improvements that support our nurses and their profession,” the statement said in part. “We continue to have constructive conversations with HNA and have taken great care to listen and consider every proposal that has been submitted by the union’s bargaining team.”