Nurses at Tuality Community Hospital in Hillsboro, Ore., approved a new contract agreement with management in February, according to a news release from Oregon Nurses Association.
The union, which represents more than 200 TCH nurses, said the two-year agreement includes a break relief program, which "creates new nursing positions to raise the standard of patient care and allow[s] all nurses to receive state-mandated rest and meal breaks." According to the union, the program ends the controversial "buddy system" where nurses took on each other's patient care responsibilities during state-mandated breaks. The ONA contends TCH is the first Oregon hospital to end the buddy system, and said it is continuing efforts to bring about the same change at other regional facilities.
Other aspects of the TCH contract include expanding staff training and education opportunities, creation of a labor management committee to give nurses and hospital administrators a forum to quickly resolve patient and staff concerns, and a 4.5 percent pay increase over the course of the contract.
TCH confirmed the agreement but did not provide further comment. The agreement ends March 31, 2020.