Mission
Our mission is to unite and empower nurses and healthcare workers, championing their rights, promoting professional practice, and advocating for quality care for all patients in Ohio while fostering a strong and cohesive professional union community.
We are Ohio’s professional union for nurses and health professionals—building power and solidarity to protect our professions, our patients, and our communities.
The Ohio Nurses Association (ONA) has a long history of fighting for those who care for others. Founded in 1904 as an organization of registered nurses, ONA led the charge for Ohio’s Nurse Practice Act, establishing professional standards and protections for patient care. Over time, we have grown into a united professional union representing all nurses and health professionals across the state.
As an affiliate of AFT, the fastest-growing healthcare union in the country, we are part of the national labor movement fighting for fair wages, safe staffing, and the respect all nurses and health professionals deserve. Through organizing, bargaining, and collective action, we continue to shape healthcare policy, strengthen our professions, and improve the care we provide.
We advocate for what’s right—standing up for our members, our patients, and our communities. We fight for safe workplaces, fair contracts, and the highest standards of care. Because when nurses and health professionals have a voice, patient care improves. We care as a team. We fight as a team. And we win as a team.