Nurse case managers at St. Charles’ four hospitals vote to unionize, join Oregon Nurses Association
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Nurse case managers at St. Charles’ hospitals in Bend, Madras, Prineville and Redmond overwhelmingly voted to join the Oregon Nurses Association this week, the union announced Thursday.
The 19 registered nurse case managers are joining ONA’s bargaining unit at St. Charles Bend, which currently represents more than 1,100 frontline nurses at St. Charles’ flagship hospital. The National Labor Relations Board, which oversees private sector union elections, certified RN case managers’ vote results on Monday.
Nurse case manager positions are not always unionized, the union said; however, "local nurse case managers have seen the gains made by union nurses in recent years and chose to stand with ONA nurses in Central Oregon to raise health care standards, win fair treatment, and secure better wages, benefits, and working conditions," according to ONA's news release, which continues in full below (we also have reached out to St. Charles for a statement):
“Joining the ONA is an important and exciting step for RN case managers. We look forward to increased collaboration with our fellow RNs, sustainable staffing, improved recruitment and retention, and the stronger voice in the practice of nursing that comes with ONA representation,” said Rachel Geels, an ONA nurse case manager at St. Charles.
Nurse case managers play a critical role in Central Oregon’s hospitals and in community health. They partner with patients, families and caregivers to help them navigate an increasingly complex health care system, coordinate services, and lead education and coaching to ensure patients and their families have the knowledge, tools and support they need to manage and improve their health.
Nurse case managers primarily assist patients and their families with hospital discharge planning and provide follow-up care; preventing expensive and unnecessary hospital readmissions and allowing patients to confidently continue their healing process at home.
"We are so happy to have the nurses in case management join the Bend ONA! They are hard-working and dedicated nurses who deserve fair treatment, better wages, benefits, and working conditions,” said Rosa Lasso, chair of ONA’s St. Charles Bend bargaining unit. “We support them completely, and with them, the Bend ONA becomes even better.”
Nurse case managers are the latest group of frontline workers at St. Charles to choose to unionize with ONA. ONA already represents most registered nurses at St. Charles hospitals in Bend, Prineville and Redmond. St. Charles’ home health and hospice nurses voted to join ONA in December 2022 and ratified their first contract in April of this year.
