St. Charles advanced practice providers unionizing under Oregon Nurses Association

BEND, Ore. -- More than 180 advanced practice providers at St. Charles Health System are seeking union representation through the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA), saying the effort will strengthen their ability to advocate for patients and address challenges facing healthcare providers across Central Oregon.

Beth Ann Orton has seen the healthcare landscape change over the last 17 years.

“My fundamental job role has changed tremendously during that time and I've worked everywhere from the operating room to primary care," Orton said.

Orton is a physician associate (PA) at St. Charles, and now one of the many health care providers joining ONA.

Registered nurses at St. Charles are already represented by ONA. Meredith Helfrich, another ONA member and PA at St. Charles urgent care, says the union will give providers a stronger voice at the bargaining table to stand up for patients.

“If we're seeing more sick patients, we kind of have a finger on the pulse of what is going on. So having a seat at the table so that we can accurately reflect the experiences that our patients are having and help make changes,” Helfrich said.

This new unionization will include more than 180 advanced practice providers (APP) which include nurse practitioners, physician associates and certified nurse midwives -- connecting providers who otherwise never would have met.

“I've actually reached out to an oncology PA who was able to get a patient in who just moved over from the western side of Oregon and needed help," Helfrich said. "They were able to get that patient within two weeks.”

Unionization efforts began about a year ago in response to potential funding cuts from Medicare and Medicaid by President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. According to ONA, nearly 200,000 Oregonians could lose health care coverage.

The union, members say, is a way to bridge the gap between patients and the healthcare system.

"We are the primary voice for our patients in the hospital setting and in primary care, and we want to ensure that we can continue to represent them as they experience more challenging barriers to accessing their health care," Orton said.

Orton and Helfrich say they are excited to work with St. Charles without sacrificing patient care.

“We don't anticipate using strikes or protesting," Orton said. "That's not on the table for us whatsoever. We hope to never do that.”

St. Charles provided this statement regarding the unionization:

"St. Charles greatly respects the role of Advance Practice Providers throughout the organization. Our physician associates, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and other APPs are a critical and valued part of our care teams.

While we would prefer to maintain a direct relationship with our APPs, we respect their right to organize and will work collaboratively with the ONA and the National Labor Relations Board on next steps, including determining a date for an election so all voices can be heard related to union representation."

St. Charles advanced practice providers unionizing under Oregon Nurses Association

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