Palliative care physicians at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Oregon have voted to unionize, reflecting a growing trend.

Labor pressures have haunted hospice and palliative care providers nationwide for several years running, only to be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. But these pressures also put strains on employees trying to keep up with demand. Increasingly, clinicians are moving towards unionization.

The St. Vincent’s physicians will become members of the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association (PNCHMA) labor union. This follows the unionization of more than 70 doctors at another Oregon health system, Cedar Mill Hospital.

“Our decision to unite is not taken lightly, and it is a testament to our dedication to the principles that underpin our profession,” Dr. Lena Hillenburg, a palliative care physician at Providence St. Vincent, said in a statement. “We call upon Providence to listen, address our concerns, and work collaboratively with physicians for the betterment of patient care and the overall health of our medical community.”

Through their union, the physicians seek to address issues related to staffing levels, work environment, compensation, health care quality and patient and worker safety, according to PNCHMA.

Unionization is uncommon in hospice, but local media reports in some communities show that the movement has gained some ground. Hospices that are affiliated with larger health systems may be more likely to see staff participate in labor unions.

Within the past few years, Oregon in particular has become a hotbed for unionization among health care workers. 

Workers from Oregon-based Providence Home Health and Hospice, also part of the Providence Health System, decided to unionize in March 2023 with the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA). In May, those workers voted to launch a five-day strike in search of higher wages, more paid time off, improved health benefits and better staffing, Beckers Hospital Review reported.

Also in Oregon, nurses at St. Charles Home Health and Hospice in Bend joined ONA in late 2022 to negotiate for improved working conditions, compensation and other issues.

In late December, home health and hospice nurses at Oregon’s PeaceHealth Sacred Heart health system threatened to strike unless they receive wages that are comparable to the hospital’s inpatient teams.

Also last year, about 1,500 hospital workers at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in California voted to unionize with the Service Employees International Union in February, and employees from the affiliated Sharp HospiceCare followed suit in April.

Medical staff from other St. Vincent’s departments unionized in prior years, and now will be joined by the hospital’s palliative care team.

“Providence St. Vincent internal medicine and obstetrics hospitalist physicians are fiercely advocating for our patients and for each other. Right now, we are preparing to negotiate our first union contract to help us deliver the best and safest care possible,” Dr. Shekhar Ojha, a hospitalist at Providence St. Vincent and a member of the medicine association negotiating committee, said in a statement. “With Providence palliative care physicians joining us, we are stronger and more united than ever in pursuing those goals.”