DLNews Health:

Nurses to Picket at JFK Memorial as Contract Talks Stall, Raising Alarm Over Patient Care

In Indio, the simmering tension between frontline nurses and Tenet Healthcare, the operator of JFK Memorial Hospital, is set to spill into public view. On Wednesday. Aug. 13, 2025, at 6 to 8 pm evening, nurses—joined by community supporters and local officials—will rally outside the hospital to press for urgent action on staffing, training, and facility improvements as contract negotiations drag into their sixth month.

Nurses say that Tenet has failed to meaningfully address the issues they have repeatedly raised at the bargaining table. They describe a system where training programs cut short during the pandemic were never restored, leaving new hires without adequate preparation and veteran staff feeling undervalued. The result, they warn, is a cycle of high turnover, low morale, and heightened risks for patient safety.

For many, the frustration runs deep. Operating Room nurse Tracy Pryor, a 28-year veteran at JFK, says morale has been “plummeting for years” and warns that without changes, there may not be enough experienced nurses to care for future patients. “Tenet can still turn things around, if they will work with us,” she says.

The nurses’ union, SEIU 121RN, points out that Tenet Healthcare—one of the nation’s largest and most profitable hospital systems—reported $3.2 billion in profits last year and projects $4.5 billion in earnings for 2025. Meanwhile, local staff say they have yet to see promised facility investments tied to Measure AA, the voter-approved extension of Tenet’s lease on Desert Regional Medical Center. The measure included a pledge to expand JFK’s emergency room at an estimated cost of $60 million, but nurses say no detailed plans have been shared.

Instead of accelerating talks, nurses say Tenet has canceled recent bargaining sessions, citing a union work action earlier this summer. They accuse the company of pursuing a divisive campaign against the union rather than addressing workplace realities. Emergency Department nurse Arianna Salcido is blunt: “We are the union. We are the ones who care the most about the patients, and we aren’t going to back down.”

The picket will take place Wednesday, August 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at JFK Memorial Hospital, with speeches scheduled for 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. For the Coachella Valley, where hospital care is a lifeline for growing communities, the standoff is more than a labor dispute—it is a question of how patient care will be safeguarded in the years ahead.