Nurses at three HCA Healthcare hospitals — MountainView Hospital in Las Vegas, Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., and Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, Kan., — have approved new labor contracts.
Eight things to know:
1. Nurses at the three facilities, who are represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee, an affiliate of National Nurses United, each approved respective three-year contracts earlier in October, according to the union.
2. The contracts cover nearly 1,000 nurses combined at Research and Menorah medical centers and nearly 1,000 nurses at MountainView Hospital. All three hospitals are part of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare.
3. The contract at MountainView Hospital includes a new program to provide coverage for nurses during their meal and rest breaks, up to 22% wage increases for some nurses over three years, and inclusive documentation that allows staff to use preferred names and add personal pronouns to name badges, according to the union.
4. The contracts at Research and Menorah medical centers also include the pilot program on break-relief staffing and inclusive documentation. They also include "substantial" wage increases and new measures to ensure that when nurses are temporarily reassigned, they are moved to units similar to their specialty, according to the union.
5. "This new contract that includes a pilot program for meal and rest break nurses is a huge win for our patients and for us as nurses," Elizabeth Rodriguez, RN, a neonatal intensive care unit nurse at MountainView, said in a news release. "We made ourselves heard when it comes to the future of our hospital, and the progress we made is written in the pages of this new contract."
6. "These contracts are how we’re leading the way to make our hospitals safer and better," Cheryl Rodarmel, RN, rehabilitation unit nurse at Research Medical Center, said in a union release. "Nurses made sure our voices were heard when it comes to the future of our hospitals, and our new contracts are a big step towards a brighter future for everyone involved."
7. "We believe these contracts will raise the bar at our hospitals," Jessica Gessley, RN, a cardiac care nurse at Menorah Medical Center, said in a union release. "As nurses, we want what’s best for our patients, and that means making sure our hospitals are places where nurses can do our jobs safely and effectively."
8. HCA Healthcare shared the following statement with Becker's: "We are pleased to announce that Research Medical Center and Menorah Medical Center have a ratified contract with National Nurses United. As we indicated all along, our goal was to reach an agreement that was fair for our colleagues and maintained the flexibility that allows us to operate in an ever-changing healthcare environment, and this contract meets those goals."
Editor's note: Becker's has reached out to HCA Healthcare and will update the story if additional comments are received.