UC Health Raises Minimum Wage for All Employees

CINCINNATI, Ohio, Sept. 19 -- U.C. Health, a network of hospitals operated by the University of Cincinnati, issued the following news release:

UC Health, Greater Cincinnati's academic health system, has announced that it will raise the minimum wage for all employees to $14 per hour beginning in January.

"At UC Health, we are proud of the work our employees and clinicians do to care for others. We know our employees have a choice about where they work - and together we share in the responsibility to make UC Health the place where patients want to receive care and where employees and clinicians want to care for others," said Richard P. Lofgren, MD, UC Health president & CEO.

Approximately 1,700 of UC Health's 11,000 non-provider employees will receive a pay increase, an investment of nearly $1 million annually by the organization. The wage increase will take effect in January 2020.

The organization began studying the minimum wage increase in early 2019. UC Health has also made other recent changes to benefit employees, including a redesigned pay scale structure.

UC Health is Greater Cincinnati's fifth-largest employer, with four inpatient campuses and 58 outpatient locations across the community.

"As a healthcare organization, we have a responsibility to our patients - but we also have a responsibility to our people," Dr. Lofgren said. "This is an investment in our employees and their families, who help us each day to live into our purpose: to advance healing and reduce suffering."

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About UC Health

UC Health is an integrated academic health system serving the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region. In partnership with the University of Cincinnati, UC Health combines clinical expertise and compassion with research and teaching - a combination that provides patients with options for even the most complex situations. Members of UC Health include: University of Cincinnati Medical Center, West Chester Hospital, Daniel Drake Center for Post-Acute Care, Bridgeway Pointe Assisted Living, University of Cincinnati Physicians and UC Health Ambulatory Services (with more than 800 board-certified clinicians and surgeons), Lindner Center of HOPE and several specialized institutes including: UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute; UC Cancer Institute; and UC Heart, Lung & Vascular Institute. Many UC Health locations have received national recognition for outstanding quality and patient satisfaction. Learn more at UCHealth.com.