Nurses in Oregon strike for better staffing and higher pay

More than 3,000 nurses at six Oregon hospitals went on strike for a second day Wednesday, carrying signs that read “Patients before profits” and “We’ll make sure it’s safe in there,” as they continued to demand fair wages and better staffing.

Nurses are on strike at six medical facilities in Providence State, from St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland in the north to Medford Medical Center in the south.

Organizers are calling it the largest nurses’ strike in the state’s history, while Providence stressed that no patient’s health would be put at risk because it had hired contract workers to temporarily fill the gap.

Scott Palmer, chief of staff of the Oregon Nurses Association, said nurses have been in negotiations since December but have failed to get Providence to give them a fair contract.

Palmer said the focus of the negotiations would be on “recruitment and retention issues,” including wages, benefits and appropriate staffing standards.

Jennifer Gentry, chief nursing officer for Providence’s Central Division, said the organization has contracted with a company to provide substitute staff so patient care is not affected. Gary Walker, a spokesman for the company, said the strike has not affected their facilities. They treated about 800 people in their emergency rooms on Tuesday and no elective surgeries were postponed.

Palmer said the striking nurses wanted to provide people with the care they needed, but also wanted the nurses to be supported.

“It’s really important that people learn from nurses and the American Nurses Association that when you’re sick, you shouldn’t hesitate to get medical help,” Palmer told the Associated Press. “Patients should go to the hospital immediately if they need it. Of course, our nurses would prefer to provide that help themselves, but providence has forced us to do so, and instead we’re on the picket line to advocate for these patients.”

Central to their demands are staffing and competitive wages, Palmer said. When staffing levels are low, nurses can’t eat lunch, there are delays in answering patient calls and it’s even difficult to find time to use the bathroom, he said.

This constant stress is leading to a record number of burnout cases among nurses, Palmer said.

“We know that nurses are choosing to leave the profession in droves, and it is a moral blow to nurses when they are unable to provide the quality care that patients deserve. Because at least in Oregon, the main reason for this is inadequate staffing,” he said.

Gentry, a nurse at Providence, said Oregon has passed a “safe staffing” law and the company follows the law’s staffing requirements.

Palmer said nurses wanted Providence to include those staffing levels in their contracts, but Gentry said they offered to include in the contract that they would comply with the law rather than provide specific numbers in case the law changed.

The strike is expected to last until Thursday.

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This story has been corrected to show Jennifer Gentry’s correct title. She is chief nursing officer of Providence’s Central Division.