REDDING, Calif. – Healthcare workers at Shasta Regional Medical Center picketed outside of the hospital, calling for better working conditions and demanding safe patient staffing.

Healthcare workers say they've been working short-staffed. They say every time they've brought up these problems, they've been met with resistance.

“It takes a team to take care of a patient, that's true anywhere you go,” said Michelle Gaffney, a registered at the hospital.

“When you remove those numbers of the team that we all rely on, it makes our job that much more difficult.”

In a statement to Action News Now, Mark Mitchelson, the Chief Nursing Officer at Shasta Regional Medical Center said, “We work extremely hard to consistently provide the best environment for our staff as well as safe, quality care for our patients. While we do not agree with the way CNA/CHEU are choosing to communicate, we understand it is their right to do so.”

In September, healthcare workers sent a petition to hospital management with a list of safety concerns. Last month, workers sent another petition, where 350 people signed it.

“The need is always there,” said Gaffney. “When we ask for the help, we're patient advocates first and foremost, there's a reason we're asking.”

"Shasta Regional Medical Center is one of the largest employers in our community, employing over 1000 people,” said Casey Fatch, CEO of the hospital.

“Staffing levels are appropriate and adequate for our census and patient level of care needs."

Both Shasta Regional and the healthcare workers say Wednesday’s picketing was not a strike.