Citing the need to attract and retain talent, hospitals and health systems in the U.S. are raising their minimum wage for workers.
Six health systems that announced pay boosts in August:
1. CoxHealth in Springfield, Mo., is raising its minimum wage to $15.25 per hour, the system said Aug. 24. The change, effective in October, affects 6,500 employees, including 5,000 entry-level workers.
2. Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City is raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour, the system said Aug. 25. The change, effective Sept. 19, affects about 2,200 employees who receive less than $15 an hour.
3. Baptist Health in Louisville, Ky., said Aug. 25 that its change to $15 per hour will be reflected in paychecks starting Oct. 1. Entry-level employees will be paid at least $15 per hour, and hourly workers already making $15 per hour will see additional increases.
4. Samaritan Health is raising current and starting wages, the Watertown, N.Y.-based health system said Aug. 18. Samaritan's minimum hourly wage has been raised to $15 for about 1,300 current employees and all new hires, a standard that increases current and starting wages by 19 percent, the organization said.
5. Banner Health in Phoenix has raised its minimum hourly wage and starting pay for many registered nurse positions. Banner's minimum hourly wage was raised to $15.
6. Virginia Commonwealth University Health System is raising its minimum hourly wage from $12 to $15, the Richmond-based organization said Aug. 10. The change will apply to about 1,700 front-line workers, or about 10 percent of the health system's total workforce.