The Asante emergency room entrance in Medford. Asante did not respond to the Dollar For report but said it has provided nearly $177 million in community benefit spending — which includes charity care — from Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022.

Nurses at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford have overwhelmingly approved a new labor contract that offers substantial raises and curtails the hospital’s use of travel nurses.

Represented by the Oregon Nurses Association, the Asante nurses voted Friday through Monday on whether to ratify an agreement the bargaining team had tentatively reached with hospital administration Oct. 27. Of the nurses who voted, 99% favored the contract, Kevin Mealy, an ONA spokesperson, said in a text Monday night.

The parties had been negotiating since early July.

Under the new agreement, nurses’ hourly wages will go up by $10 retroactive to Sept. 30, when the current contract expired. The nurses will also receive a 4% cost-of-living increase in 2024, then another 4% increase in 2025.

The contract caps how many travel nurses Rogue Regional can employ. The number of travel nurses at the hospital cannot exceed 10% of the number of ONA-represented nurses there. In addition, travel nurses who work 12 or more months at the hospital in an 18-month period must become staff nurses.

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