WORCESTER, Mass. - Elected officials joined forces with striking Saint Vincent Hospital nurses once again for a rally in downtown Worcester on Saturday.

Saturday marked Day 97 of the nurses strike and the Massachusetts Nurses Association says it is the longest strike nationally by nurses in more than a decade.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, congressman Jim McGovern, union leaders, and other activists stood in solidarity over the need for safer staffing to ensure safer patient care. 

Nurses sent postcards to Saint Vincent Hospital CEO Carolyn Jackson and the CEO of Tenet Healthcare asking them to get back to the negotiating table. 

Elected officials sent a letter to Tenet Healthcare last month sharing their concerns. 

In response, Tenet's CEO Ronald A. Rittenmeyer said in a statement:  "We respect our nurses’ right to strike, but we have a responsibility to our community to ensure that we can continue to deliver the high quality of care for which we are known."