Chicago-based UI Health has rescheduled some elective procedures and taken a number of other steps as the Illinois Nurses Association, the union representing more than 1,700 registered nurses and licensed practical nurses at the system, is on strike.
The union is proceeding with its strike after a Cook County judge granted the health system's request to prevent certain critical care nurses from participating.
Members of the Illinois Nurses Association began a seven-day strike for registered nurses on Aug. 19, with licensed practical nurses joining them for five of those days. The strike began on the same day as the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, as hospitals across the city have prepared for medical emergencies.
In a statement shared with Becker's, UI Health said it is taking steps to ensure continued care and safety during the strike taking place during the DNC.
These steps include initiating its internal emergency management team; engaging an agency to recruit nurses to support care delivery; the temporary restraining order preventing some critical care nurses, without similarly qualified agency substitutes, from striking; and rescheduling some elective procedures.
UI Health outpatient clinics remain open at full capacity, and all urgent patients will be treated as needed, the statement said.
There are around 1,700 registered nurses at UI Health; 1,377 voted to authorize a strike earlier this month. The licensed practical nurses in the union and UI Health have been in negotiations for more than a year; the registered nurses in the union have been negotiating for a few months. Staffing and pay are among the key sticking points in negotiations.