Latest news with #OregonNursesAssociation
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Samaritan CEO responds to backlash amid possible rural birthing center closures
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Samaritan Health is responding to backlash after plans emerged that the healthcare system is considering shutting down two . Earlier this week, the Oregon Nurses Association rallied outside the Samaritan Health System Board of Directors Meeting. In addition, members of the U.S. Congress representing Oregon, including Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and Representative Val Hoyle, to shut down locations in Lincoln City and Lebanon. Oregon Food Bank, Rep. Dexter decry proposed tax bill Marty Cahill, Samaritan's new president and CEO, responded in part by saying nothing is a done deal — yet. In a statement, Cahill says half of the state's health systems are operating at a loss and that they are looking at all ideas that can lead to long-term success. 'No decisions have been made, and no changes to services are being implemented,' Cahill says in an open letter. 'The ideas we're exploring still need to be tested, shared, improved, and aligned with what our community needs — not just this summer, but for the long term.' No details on the plan for the closures is mentioned in the letter. However, Cahill does go on to ask for legislators to help them come up with solutions to the health care issues. Marty Cahill's open letter addressing the issues surrounding the future of health care is below: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Oregon bill would mandate health care employers prevent, report workplace violence
Oregon lawmakers are considering more violence prevention training for health care workers. (Photo by Alan Cohen/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Patrick Hennessy, a registered nurse, remembers being attacked by a patient while working at a homeless shelter in Maryland. The shelter was understaffed and he was the only medical provider present. After he declined to provide nutritional supplements to a patient who was not directed to take them, the patient got increasingly aggressive and attacked Hennessy. 'No matter what I did, he just became angrier and angrier, to the point that he shoved me and I stumbled backwards and hit my back against the door,' he said. Hennessy's experience is part of a growing trend of violence toward health care workers — injuries from workplace violence in hospitals nearly doubled in the last decade and 92% of nurses reported experiencing violence last year in an Oregon Nurses Association survey. After trying and failing to pass a law that criminalized workplace violence last year, lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 537 to fund prevention work in hospitals across the state, include union representatives in safety committees, increase training minimums and mandate health care providers track and report violent incidents to the state. A committee vote on the bill is scheduled for Thursday. Senate Bill 537 would expand existing protections against assault to all cases of workplace violence, including threats of physical violence, harassment, intimidation and verbal abuse. It would also extend protections from only hospitals and ambulatory centers to also home hospice programs and home health agencies. If passed, health care employers would have to implement a prevention and response plan that includes procedures for investigating violence and a protocol for victims to access medical care and trauma counseling. They would also have to compile data about each incident and submit yearly reports to the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, including near-miss incidents, to gather information about the root causes of workplace violence in health care. The bill would also create a grant program to fund metal detectors, violence prevention training and other safety measures. Lawmakers have yet to set a specific amount to be allocated for the grants. If passed, health care employees would also have the right to present identification badges with only their first name, to protect their privacy. Most health care associations, including the Oregon Nurses Association and the Oregon Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians, support the measure. 'I personally have called the police for real violence on more than one occasion and received minimal assistance. At no point was a police report written,' Craig Rudy, former president of the emergency physicians group, said in written testimony. The Hospital Association of Oregon opposes the bill, and a representative testified that it 'has not had sufficient stakeholder agreement.' Hennessy, now a nurse at Oregon Health and Science University Hospital in Portland, advocates for the bill as the chair of the Health Policy Cabinet at the Oregon Nurses Association, a group that represents over 15,000 nurses and health care employees statewide. He said the bill resulted from nurses and other health care workers recognizing that workplace violence is untenable and getting worse. Health care is the leading industry where employees have to miss work due to workplace violence, followed by education. In March, a patient was arrested for allegedly knocking a nurse to the ground and punching her repeatedly in Connecticut and another patient allegedly brutally attacked a nurse at Palm Beach County Hospital in Florida. In 2023, a security guard at Legacy Health in Portland was shot to death while protecting a maternity ward from an intruder. Hennessy thinks current prevention efforts are insufficient and there is very little research on the matter. 'If we can really get more information on the problem, then we can actually help prevent it,' he said. He also believes that workplace violence in health care may be underreported and professionals often fear retaliation or job loss if they speak out about their experiences. 'We've been conditioned to feel like this is just part of the job, that these things happen and you need to be a stronger person and just brush it off,' he said. Last year, the Legislature failed to pass a bill that would have made attacking a health care worker a felony. Some advocacy groups, including Disability Rights Oregon and the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, publicly opposed the bill, arguing that it punished those with mental illness. Senate Bill 537 exclusively addresses prevention and not punishment, but lawmakers are considering a bill similar to last year's to punish violence toward health care workers. Senate Bill 170 passed the Senate unanimously and awaits a hearing in the House. State Rep. Travis Nelson, D-Portland, said he has been working to prevent workplace violence in health care for years, including as chief sponsor of last year's violence prevention bill. Senate Bill 537 differs from last year's as it addresses the root causes of workplace violence and is not approached as broadly, he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Strike over: Providence nurses ‘overwhelmingly' ratify deal
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The strike by nearly 5000 nurses at 8 Providence hospitals around the state of Oregon is over after the reached last Friday. The nurses voted overwhelmingly to ratify the deal and end the 46-day strike, the Oregon Nurses Association said in a release. The new contract is 'a major victory' for caregivers, Providence patients and the communities throughout Oregon, said nurse Virginia Smith, a leader on the ONA bargaining unit. 'As RNs, we believe that these contracts will lead to greater recruitment and retention of frontline nurses as wages become more aligned with other health systems, and we have staffing language that will allow us to spend more time with the patients that need the most care,' Smith said in a statement. Nurses will return to work beginning with the night shift at their specific hospital — — Providence St. Vincent, Providence Portland Medical Center, Providence Medford Medical Center, Providence Newberg, Providence Willamette Falls, Providence Milwaukie, Providence Hood River and Providence Seaside — on Wednesday night. The two days of voting on the deal began Saturday afternoon. Union officials released the tally shortly after voting concluded at 4 p.m. Monday. On Friday afternoon, the company announced that both parties' bargaining teams tentatively agreed on a contract after three days of 'intensive bargaining facilitated by federal mediators.' When the Oregon Nurses Association launched its walkout on , striking nurses claimed they were advocating for terms like smaller caseloads, increased paid time off and affordable health care. The labor organization reported nurses will see wage increases ranging from 20% to 42% throughout the span of the contract, and an immediate hike between 16% and 22%. ONA said the tentative agreement also includes 'penalty pay' for when nurses miss a break or meal, and new health benefits to ensure 'comprehensive courage' for staff. 'These hard-won agreements reflect the dedication and determination of ONA nurses who stood strong in their fight for fair treatment, safe working conditions and better healthcare for their communities,' ONA said in a initially reached a tentative deal with bargaining units in early February, but it was later . ONA said the offer failed to adequately address workers' grievances. The following week, Providence that they would no longer have access to health care if the strike continued through Feb. 28. 'Providence is hopeful that ONA-represented nurses will ratify the tentative agreements that pave a solid path forward for us all,' Providence Oregon CEO Jennifer Burrows said in a statement on Friday. 'Together, we look forward to continuing to provide excellent and compassionate care for our patients in these communities we serve.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Providence, nurses union reach new tentative deal in 6-week-long strike
Nurses from the Legacy Health System support nurses on the strike line at Providence Portland Medical Center in northeast Portland. (Photo courtesy of Oregon Nurses Association) Nurses would be paid more and receive compensation for missing breaks under a tentative agreement reached by Providence Health & Services and the Oregon Nurses Association that could end a six-week-long strike. Providence and the union announced the new agreement, which comes after union members rejected another deal earlier this month, in separate news releases Friday. Providence said it reached the deal after three days of intensive bargaining. 'Providence is hopeful that ONA-represented nurses will ratify the tentative agreements that pave a solid path forward for us all,' said Jennifer Burrows, chief executive of Providence Oregon. The union hailed the agreement as a milestone, saying it represents 'a significant achievement for ONA nurses, marking a powerful step forward in their ongoing commitment to fair wages, safe staffing, and high-quality patient care.' The strike, which started Jan. 10, is the longest in Oregon's health care history. Nearly 5,000 nurses walked off the job at Providence's eight hospitals in Oregon in Hood River, Medford, Milwaukie, Newberg, Seaside and Oregon City and two in Portland. The strike also included nurses, physicians and other staff at Providence's six women's clinics in the Portland area and hospital physicians at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in southwest Portland. The physicians and clinic union members approved their deals but the nurses rejected the early agreement by more than 80%. The Oregon Nurses Association said the bargaining units for seven of the hospitals recommend that union members back the agreements, while the team at Providence Medford was neutral. The deal includes wage increases for nurses from 20% to 42%, with an immediate 16% to 22% raise upon ratification, the union said. It also includes step increases starting next year along with guaranteed pay for missed breaks or meal breaks. It also includes retroactive pay for nurses whose contract expired last year or earlier. The contracts for each hospital expired on different dates — for example, the Providence St. Vincent contract expired Dec. 31, 2023. Under the deal, nurses would receive the new rates for 75% of all hours worked without a contract in 2024, including for vacation days and paid time off, the union said. Obtaining retroactive pay has been a major sticking point. The contracts for nurses at Seaside and Portland expired this past Dec. 31, so they would not be eligible for retroactive pay, but would receive a $1,750 bonus spread over two pay periods after ratification, plus another $750 within six months. Nurses will vote on the agreement this weekend. If it's ratified, nurses would return to work next Wednesday. If adopted, the contracts would have a range of expiration dates, from Dec. 31, 2026 for St. Vincent, Newberg, Oregon City and Milwaukie and March 31, 2027 for Medford and Hood River. The contract for Providence Portland and Seaside nurses would expire Dec. 31, 2027. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Providence reaches tentative agreement with Oregon nurses on strike
Providence operates eight hospitals in Oregon, including Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Southwest Portland. (Photo courtesy of Providence Health & Services) Providence Health & Systems nurses and other health care professionals at eight Oregon hospitals have reached tentative agreements with the company that could end the strike that started Jan. 10. The Oregon Nurses Association, which represents nearly 5,000 striking workers, and Providence officials announced late Tuesday that both sides have reached a tentative agreement. The strike will end only after members vote — and pass — the contracts, the Oregon Nurses Association said. The vote is scheduled for Thursday and Friday in most hospitals, except for the Medford hospital, where nurses will also have Saturday to vote on it because of weather conditions. The strike, the largest involving health care workers in Oregon's history, stretched across the state, including Portland's St. Vincent, Providence Portland Medical Center and hospitals in Hood River, Medford, Milwaukie, Newberg, Seaside and Oregon City. Hospitalist physicians at St. Vincent Medical Center remain on strike and in negotiations, officials said. 'Providence is grateful for the tireless work done by everyone involved in this process, as well as those who have been working in our hospitals caring for our communities during the ONA strike,' Providence said in a release. Each hospital has a separate contract. In a release, the union said key provisions include wage increases, both now and in the future, an hour of penalty pay for nurses when they miss a break or lunch and contract language recognizes Oregon's new nurses staffing law, which requires hospitals to meet minimum thresholds for patient safety. The two sides reached the tentative agreement after a week of 'intensive mediation,' the union said. Gov. Tina Kotek requested that step so they could bridge the impasse. Nurses and physicians at Providence women's clinic, which has six Portland-area sites, also reached an agreement, which members approved this week. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
