Providence warns union strike creates "significant risk" for health care in Oregon
January 7, 2025
NEWS RELEASE
Providence warns union strike creates "significant risk" for health care in Oregon
Leaders from Providence Oregon today informed state leaders that the indefinite, open-ended strike planned by leaders of the Oregon Nurses Association puts health care access at “significant risk” in the state. The strike includes represented nurses at all eight hospitals. It also includes physicians with hospital attending obligations (hospitalists) and providers and nurses at six Providence clinics.
“There is no replacement workforce for physicians, such as the one that exists for nurses,” said Jennifer Burrows, chief executive for Providence Oregon.
Providence physicians participating in the strike will primarily impact the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center campus. Providence expects about 60-70 physicians working at that facility to participate in the strike.
Recognizing the public health need for physicians during the current flu surge in the community, Providence has asked union leaders to continue bargaining in units that include physicians. The union initially refused to do this, saying it would only accept an all-or-nothing approach that includes all facility bargaining units taking part in its strike. It’s Providence’s hope that the union’s initial position changes.
Providence has notified the Oregon Health Authority that beginning today, Monday, Jan. 6, it will need to cap the number of patients at Providence St. Vincent.
- Right now, PSVMC has more than 450 patients, with 320 of them being cared for by our hospitalists.
- We predict by Friday, when the hospitalist walkout begins, the physicians we are bringing in will only be able to serve 250-275 hospitalist patients.
- As PSVMC looks to close that gap, it will begin limiting admissions.
“We will defer or reschedule procedures requiring hospitalist support as needed, and we anticipate longer delays in our emergency department and more ambulance divert” said Raymond Moreno, M.D., chief medical officer at PSVMC. The nature of the strike also means there will be an impact communitywide on OB services at PSVMC and at Providence Women’s Clinics.
As there is still time to avoid this unnecessary strike by physicians, Providence negotiators continue to pass proposals for the physician units through the federal mediator and hope the union, in response, will take action that is in the best interest of the community.
