Houlton Regional Hospital nurses were on the picket line Tuesday morning to protest what they say are unsafe staffing levels that are compromising patient care.
The nurses are part of the Maine State Nurses Association and bargaining for a new contract.
Tenille Nason has worked in the ER for 20 years. She works nights with one other nurse and said management agreed to bring on a third nurse but then rescinded the agreement.
"I have walked in at times when there are 12 to13 patients in the ER and then people start arriving needing to be triaged," Nason said. "So, when you have only two nurses on and you're trying to relieve the night shift it is overwhelming and unsafe."
Hospital management says it is working to stabilize finances at the hospital and improve access to other services for the community. It also says the hospital meets or exceeds standards for staffing and quality of care.
The nurses head back to the bargaining table with management on December 1.
