Lori Shellman, an intensive care nurse at Providence Seaside Hospital, is among 115 nurses at Providence preparing to strike on Jan. 10 over working conditions and wages.

Nearly 5,000 health care workers across eight Providence Health & Services hospitals in Oregon plan to strike in a massive labor action.

“We are striking not because we don’t want to be there, but because we do want to be able to take care of our community,” Shellman said. “We are striking because we, as caregivers, want to be able to care for our community members in a safe way, and we want to be able to care for ourselves as well.”

Safe staffing is at the forefront of issues raised by the Oregon Nurses Association, the labor union that represents Providence nurses. The practice stresses having enough nurses to meet patient needs at all times and making sure those nurses are not overworked.

“The Oregon staffing law has been incredible,” Shellman said, referring to the 2023 passage of a law mandating minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. “However, there are some elements to safe staffing, such as patient acuity that goes into assignments, that we would like incorporated into our contract.”

Patient acuity refers to the severity of a patient’s case and the complexity of their care, a frequent concern for Shellman and others working in the intensive care unit as they juggle multiple high-priority cases.

“Having a balanced assignment based on acuity ensures that we as nurses are able to adequately manage this patient’s care,” Shellman said. “Do we have enough resources to monitor this patient? If they are very sick, they may need more frequent monitoring or closer eyes so we can observe if there are any changes.

“Having acuity in our contract allows us to better allocate our resources to ensure each patient gets the care and monitoring that they really require to help them heal, help them get better and ultimately reach that goal of getting out of the hospital.”

Providence Seaside nurses went on strike for a week in June 2023 after their previous contract expired. They were able to negotiate a successor agreement in which Providence agreed to increases in wages and paid time off.

“But it was only a two-year agreement,” said Myrna Jensen, an Oregon Nurses Association spokesperson. “So that’s why they’re back to bargaining and back to walking out on strike … It is about the safe staffing issue, wanting to make sure that they actually have some contract language. It is about making sure that they have the time off benefits, the health benefits and the wages that make them competitive with other hospitals.”

Jensen said competitive wages and better benefits are important since Providence has been using travel nurses to fill gaps left by nurses who are unwilling to work for lower wages than what other hospitals offer.

“So people will come and they’ll work for a couple years, and then they’ll move on to another hospital,” she said. “And, you know, someone like Lori and some of our other folks that are in Seaside, they’ve been there a long time. They want to have nurses come and stay so they can mentor them and grow them, and they’ll stay in the community and be a part of Seaside 100%.”

Jensen and Shellman urged people in the community not to delay seeking medical care because of the strike.

“Nurses want people to be cared for, first and foremost,” Jensen said. “So we know many people feel a little conflicted … But first and foremost, if you need care, go get care.”

Providence management is preparing to turn to replacement workers at the 25-bed critical access hospital during the strike.

“Our highest priority is ensuring uninterrupted patient care and maintaining daily operations,” Providence Seaside said in a statement. “We’ve engaged a highly regarded contract nursing agency to provide experienced, quality replacement nurses.

“We want our community to know our priority during this time will be to maintain operations and provide our patients with the same excellent and compassionate care our community has come to expect from Providence Seaside.”

Shellman said she is doing her best to provide clear and transparent information and education about the reasons for the strike.

“We are just looking forward to going back to the bargaining table,” she said. “And I know ONA is willing, and I am hoping and asking Providence to be willing to do so as well.”