Houlton Nurses Vote No Confidence in Hospital CEO Jeff Zewe

Registered nurses at Houlton Regional Hospital hand-delivered a signed letter of no confidence in the hospital’s CEO, Jeff Zewe, to the president of the hospital’s Board of Trustees on July 30. The nurses, who are members of the Maine State Nurses Association/NNOC have been working without a contract since their previous contract expired on Nov. 30, 2024.

In a joint statement to the Bangor Daily News, Tori Quint, RN operating room, Tenille Nason, RN emergency department, Mary Howland, RN acute care, Erin Mitchell, RN emergency department, and Cassidy Hardy, RN, acute care, said that the union has given the board time to address their concerns.

“Nurses at Houlton Regional Hospital care deeply about our community and the care provided at Houlton Regional Hospital,” they said. “We are urging the Board of Trustees to take action now.” The no-confidence letter comes after nurses launched a four-day strike in May to protest management’s refusal to address their deep concerns about emergency department (ED) staffing and its impact on patient care.