National Nurses Week 2026
This National Nurses Week, AFSCME Council 13 proudly recognizes the nurses who care for Pennsylvanians every single day in hospitals, veterans homes, correctional facilities, schools, long-term care settings, and communities across our state.
Nurses are there for us in life’s hardest moments, bringing compassion, professionalism, skill, and strength to work every shift. They advocate for their patients, support families through crisis, and keep our healthcare system running, often while facing understaffing, burnout, and unsafe working conditions.
That's why appreciation alone is not enough.
Healthcare workers deserve safe workplaces, strong union protections, and a real voice on the job. Just last year, AFSCME Local 691 member Travis Dunn was working in the emergency room at UPMC Altoona and was seriously injured after being assaulted by a patient while simply doing his job. Sadly, incidents like this are becoming far too common for frontline healthcare workers across Pennsylvania.
Because of this, Council 13 members are urging state lawmakers to pass House Bill 926, which would require healthcare facilities to create worker-led violence prevention committees and take meaningful action to address the growing crisis of workplace violence in healthcare settings. No nurse or healthcare worker should have to fear being assaulted simply for going to work and caring for others. Show your support for nurses by calling your state legislator and demanding action on this bill.
We also continue the fight to protect critical federal healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which millions of Americans rely on for care. Cuts to these programs hurt patients, strain healthcare workers even further, and threaten services in communities across Pennsylvania.
This week and every week, we stand with the nurses who care for all of us, and we will keep fighting alongside them for safer workplaces, stronger staffing, and the respect they have earned.
Thank you, nurses. We are proud to stand with you.