The Minnesota Nurses Association could see additional members from CHI St. Alexius Health in Bismarck, N.D., according to The Bismarck Tribune.
Nurses at the hospital are thinking about joining the union. They said operational changes within the organization negatively affect patient care, and sought out the MNA, according to the report.
"The nurses at St Alexius want to form a union so we can have a voice, not only to advocate for our profession, but more importantly, to advocate for our patients and community," Chettie Greer, a registered nurse with CHI St. Alexius, said in an emailed statement to Becker's Hospital Review. "Because we live in Bismarck, we believe we can advocate for our patients better than a corporation based in Colorado."
CHI St. Alexius Health has made multiple rounds of layoffs this year. In January, the health system laid off 52 employees, or 2.7 percent of its total workforce. The next month, it laid off 19 people, according to a separate Bismarck Tribune report. That's on top of the 23 employees who were laid off in March 2016. Most recently, the organization laid off another 25 employees in April.
The layoffs are part of the organization's financial improvement efforts, as well as attempts by the organization's affiliate, Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives, to reduce expenses in markets across the enterprise, according to The Bismarck Tribune.
The MNA told the publication nurses indicated they are now challenged to properly take care of each patient due to larger workloads. However, in an email to Becker's Hospital Review, CHI St. Alexius noted they are one of two hospitals in North Dakota to receive the highest rating for CMS quality and Leapfrog safety.
Ellen Holt, CHI St. Alexius Health's vice president human resources, also noted the hospital's quality in an interview with The Bismarck Tribune, saying, "We are proud of the high quality and safe care our nurses and patient care team provide to our community. It has been our faith-based mission for more than 132 years."
Additionally, she spoke out against unionizing.
"We believe we can best continue our mission to serve our patients when CHI St. Alexius Health's staff is free to operate without the restrictions that often result when labor unions become involved in healthcare settings," she said.
More articles on human capital:
Hancock Regional seeks to fill 27 positions
Tufts nurses strike brews after 'final' offer refused
Chipotle celebrates nurses June 14 with BOGO burrito deal