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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA O n may 2, the Metro Labor Coun- cil, AFL-CIO presented District of Columbia Nurses Association RNs with the prestigious Golden Picket Award. This award recognizes a local union that has turned out the most mem- bers for mobilization, protest, or campaign for better pay and working conditions. Nurses at St. Elizabeths Hospital and the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program have endured workplace violence, chronic understaffing, unsafe infrastruc- ture, and inadequate equipment for years, if not decades. Despite sustained advocacy on behalf of both patients and staff, meaningful, sys- temic change has remained elusive. The District of Columbia Department of Behav- ioral Health (DBH) has too often operated in a reactive posture, falling short of its obli- gation to ensure a safe, therapeutic environment for care delivery to some of the district's most vulnerable residents. In 2025, DC Nurses Association/DBH nurses elevated their advocacy with urgency and precision. Moving beyond internal esca- lation, they organized, documented systemic failures, and brought their frontline experi- ences directly to policymakers. In coordinated efforts, nurses testified before the DC Council, drawing the focused attention of leadership, including Christina Henderson, chair of the Committee on Health. This advocacy marked a turning point. For the first time, the district government initiated consistent, structured engagement with DCNA/DBH nurses, including stand- ing monthly meetings with the deputy mayor for Health and Human Services to directly address longstanding workplace safety and patient care issues. While these steps repre- sent measurable progress, the pace and scale of change remain misaligned with the urgency of conditions on the ground. Even so, DBH nurses remain steadfast. Their work is grounded not only in clinical expertise, but in an unwavering commit- ment to dignity, safety, and accountability in behavioral health care. DCNA/DBH is deeply honored to accept recognition from the Metro Labor Council, an acknowledgment not just of persever- ance, but of principled advocacy in the face of systemic challenges. This has been the third time since 2018 in which the Metro Labor Council, AFL- CIO has honored DCNA with an award. Elsewhere in the district, nurses are going union with DCNA. On March 4, DCNA filed a representation petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for five nurses working at the Anacostia Clinic that is part of Children's National, a pediatric health system in the Washington, D.C., area. On April 23, nurses voted yes to join the union, which represents nurses at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. And on April 1, DCNA filed an election petition with the NLRB for a union election for per diem RNs at Howard University Hospital. On May 3, the PRNs voted in favor of joining the union, which already repre- sents registered nurses at Howard. DCNA and per diem nurses will review the collec- tive bargaining agreement and prepare proposals for negotiations. — Staff report DC nurses win advocacy award, grow union Victories at Children's National and Howard University J U LY | A U G U S T | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 7