Dozens protest at Mission Hospital over nurse firing and patient safety

Dozens of nurses, union members and community supporters lined Biltmore Avenue outside Mission Hospital on Feb. 19 to protest recent disciplinary actions and raise alarm about staffing shortages and patient safety. Protesters said Mission fired nurse Molly Zinker earlier that day; other accounts say she was suspended Feb. 12 after a meeting between the Professional Practice Council and hospital administrators.

Mission Nurses United and allied groups, including members of the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United, led the rally that featured signs, chants and short speeches. A Citizen-Times photo caption noted Maeve Fitzpatrick, 4, covering her ears during the demonstration; WUNC coverage from earlier rallies recorded signs reading "patients over profits" and large crowds supporting nurses during past contract fights.

The protest centered on staffing and retaliation claims that nurses tie to HCA Healthcare's takeover of Mission in 2019. Kerri Wilson, a Mission nurse since 2016 who has been active in bargaining, said staffing has deteriorated since the sale: "We weren’t concerned about staffing at all before HCA took over. There, of course, were times when a floor was understaffed for a shift here and there, but this is an ongoing, daily event." Wilson added, "Our quality of care has declined, not because our staff don’t care, but because we don’t have enough anymore."

Organizers also pointed to specific disciplinary incidents. Avlwatchdog reported that Zinker, spelled "Zenker" in that outlet, was suspended Feb. 12 after expressing frustration that the PPC's recommendations were not being implemented and warning the group might go public. The Watchdog also reported that nurse Shaunna Shultz was suspended after refusing to remove a sticker supporting Zinker. Hannah Drummond, a registered nurse at Mission and a union representative, said, "Wearing stickers is protected under the nurses’ union contract."

The demonstrations come amid regulatory scrutiny of Mission Hospital. Avlwatchdog reported that CMS placed Mission in "immediate jeopardy" in January, the fourth such finding since HCA bought the system, and set a July 26 deadline to correct "continued systemic deficient practices" tied to a 2025 Immediate Jeopardy finding. Abc45/WLOS reported that inspectors from the Joint Commission and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have been investigating complaints "over the last month," and that the North Carolina Department of Health has opened an investigation into Mission's emergency department. Nurses at the rally said staffing levels often improve when inspectors are present; Wilson said, "During those times, they’re able to staff us, and yet when the inspectors are not there, they can’t seem to find the staff."

Mission Health has been cited in local coverage as issuing a statement to media, but the full text of that statement was not available in the assembled accounts and HCA did not reply to some requests for comment. Mission Nurses United continues to press for safe staffing, better pay and holiday pay as contract priorities; organizers said the Feb. 19 action was part of a longer campaign that included rallies in 2024 involving dozens to hundreds of supporters.

Reporters seeking confirmation of disciplinary records, the hospital statement, and precise attendance numbers said they would follow up with Mission Health, union leaders and regulatory agencies as investigations and bargaining continue.