Primary care providers at MetroHealth are organizing to form a union, saying it is needed to improve working conditions and patient care.
The group includes physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants who say they are organizing because of increasing workloads and limited time with patients.
鈥淲e are coming together to form our union because when primary care providers have the time, support and voice in our jobs, our patients are going to get better care,鈥� said nurse practitioner Alyssa Osysko. 鈥淏y coming together ... we're fighting for a stronger future for primary care here at MetroHealth and for better care for the community that we serve.鈥�
Organizers say they want a greater role in decisions affecting patient care, as well as conditions that allow them to spend more time with patients and retain providers in the system.
MetroHealth said in a statement that providers have opportunities to engage in decisions related to patient care and that the system will continue to welcome their feedback.
The effort follows a similar push by physicians at University Hospitals last year. Two doctors involved in that organizing effort said they were fired in retaliation. A spokesperson for UH said the physicians were terminated for violating hospital policy.
About 13% of U.S. health care workers are in labor unions, according to a 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), with health care union activity in recent years. Locally, behavioral health nurses at MetroHealth unionized last year.
Organizers plan to on April 28th outside of MetroHealth鈥檚 main campus.
