Hagerstown, Md.-based Meritus Health will raise its minimum wage to $20 per hour over the next two years.
Last year, the health system invested $3 million to increase its hourly minimum wage from $15 to $17. That increase affected 1,400 employees in total.
This most recent investment will be a multiphased approach, with the first phase of the increases beginning July 1 and affecting 500 front-line workers, including medical assistants, certified nursing assistants, phlebotomists and emergency department technicians, according to a May 17 health system news release. All positions are expected to move to the increased pay scale by January 2027.
Meritus is also providing a performance-based bonus structure and incentives to long-standing team members as they hit years of service milestones, the health system said.
"This is the third time in three years that we have committed to increasing our organization's minimum wage," Meritus President and CEO Maulik Joshi, DrPH, said in the release. "Our workforce is our community, and a livable wage is so important. We simply can't afford not to invest in our dedicated workforce."
Meritus has about 3,000 employees total, according to its website.