Hundreds or perhaps thousands of nurses will march through Washington on Thursday to demand workplace protections and better wages.
The National Nurses March will head up Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House and hold a rally at Audi Field near Buzzard Point after the march.
The independent organization is demanding “fair, realistic wages,” safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and better protection for health care workers from violence.
They also want to “change the culture of the biases and discrimination in the nursing profession.”
The COVID-19 crisis put a spotlight on the nursing profession and its challenges, including staffing shortfalls and reports of burnout among health care workers. They also faced patients and families who were angry with social-distancing rules or disagreements over treatment.
“The mission of the National Nurses March is to enable nurses to provide quality care without worrying about being overworked, underpaid, or hurt by violence on the job,” said Veronica Marshall, founder of National Nurses March.
