Some 250 registered nurses at Sierra Medical Center in El Paso are the latest group of Texas nurses to vote to join the National Nurses Organizing Committee-Texas (NNOC-Texas), the Texas affiliate of National Nurses United (NNU).

Sierra RN Nena Brown said the election:

Is a mandate by nurses at Sierra who are determined to improve the quality of patient care and be the strongest possible advocates for our patients and our community.

With the win at Sierra, nurses at four El Paso hospitals have recently voted to join NNOC-Texas. They represent about 75% of the acute care RNs in El Paso. Says Sierra RN Monica Martell:

We will use our collective unity to improve quality of care for the hospitals in our city and raise the standards for nurses in Texas.

Nurses at the Tenet Healthcare Corp. hospital say that when contract talks begin, they will emphasize improved staffing, other patient care protections and economic improvements, all intended to assure quality patient care and to promote retention and recruitment of RNs.