Nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., the flagship hospital of CHI Franciscan Health, are slated to receive $5 million in back pay after reaching a settlement with the health system regarding a lawsuit filed in Pierce County Superior Court, according to The News Tribune.
The original complaint alleged the hospital had failed to provide paid rest and meal breaks since 2012. In addition to the monetary award, the hospital will now hire 26 additional nurses to care for patients while other nurses take full, uninterrupted breaks.
In a statement emailed to the Tribune, Cary Evans, Franciscan's vice president for marketing and communications, said the medical center is pleased to reach a settlement.
"This settlement prioritizes patient safety while also providing a restructured process that helps ensure nurses will take appropriate rest and meal breaks."
Franciscan Health will establish the new nursing relief program no later than April 1, 2018.
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