The perimeter of Providence Medford Medical Center is seen fenced along McAndrews Road in Medford on June 17 ahead of a three-day nurses strike.

Despite the imposing sight of security fencing around Providence Medford Medical Center, hospital leaders say patients can expect the normal level of health care during a three-day nurses strike set to begin Tuesday morning.

In an interview Monday, hospital Chief Executive Chris Pizzi discussed the planning and preparation the hospital has undertaken ahead of the Oregon Nurses Association strike that starts at 6 a.m. Tuesday and runs through 8 p.m. Thursday.

“We’ve done a lot of work in preparing for this, and I will say I’m really proud of our team,” Pizzi said. “We have replacement nurses, we have clinical and non-clinical volunteers, we have prepared in advance in terms of having the supplies and equipment that we need for the duration of this period.”

“We’re in good shape,” he added.

During the interview, Pizzi’s phone chimed multiple times with reminders for upcoming meetings regarding hospital operations.

The nurses are striking as part of a larger strike across six hospitals, picketing alongside Providence St. Vincent north of Beaverton, Providence Newberg, Providence Hood River, Providence Willamette Falls and Providence Milwaukie in what is believed to be the largest nursing strike in Oregon history.

The nurses are demanding better wages, higher staffing levels, better health insurance and better paid leave. The nursing union gave a 10-day notice on June 7 so the hospital system could prepare.

Pizzi’s assurances came after Providence’s Friday blog post titled “Union attempts to disrupt health care access and medical supply deliveries at Providence hospitals in Oregon.” In the post, Providence claims “vendors of crucial medical equipment” told Providence that ONA “is pressuring them to stop deliveries of those lifesaving supplies … during the work stoppage.” 

Asked whether Providence’s claims are true, ONA spokesman Peter Starzynski said, “The answer is no. That is an unequivocally false statement from Providence.”

The post separately includes a copy of an ONA letter sent to traveling nurses asking them not to accept any contracts with Providence Medford, Providence St. Vincent, Providence Newberg, Providence Hood River or Providence Milwaukie this month or next month.

“We strongly encourage all nurses to stand in solidarity with these ONA members and not accept travel nurse contracts scheduled to start in June or July for these employers,” the letter states in bold.

“Your support to our efforts is not only important, but vital to address unsafe staffing, missed rest and meal breaks, failures to recruit and retain nursing staff and to support nurses in their work to raise standards for our patients,” the letter adds.

Starzynski stated in the email that “ONA has called upon nurses and other labor unions to honor the strike and not cross the picket line,” which he described as “standard practice for all unions engaged in strike actions since the beginning of the American labor movement.”

“That’s why unions are required to give health care employers a 10-day notice, so they have time to make provisions for patient care,” Starzynski added.

Pizzi said hospital leadership has worked to ensure the hospital can continue normal operations during the strike. As part of those preparations, Providence erected fencing around the hospital lawn to delineate Providence’s private property from the public sidewalk where striking nurses will picket.

“This is private property,” Pizzi said. Providence wants “to ensure that patients, caregivers, family members who are coming here for care” are “not impeded in any way by what’s going on,” he said.

Asked whether Providence will have less staff during the strike, Pizzi said, “We’ll be fully staffed.”

“We’re ready to care for the patients here — whether it’s emergency room, surgeries, procedures,” Pizzi said. “We are safely staffed, and we’re in a good position right now.”

The strike will not impact other clinics and urgent care facilities within the Providence health system.

Providence paused negotiations with the union on June 7, after the ONA issued the 10-day strike notice, to prepare hospitals for the strike. Pizzi said negotiations will resume after the strike has concluded. The next bargaining session is scheduled for Monday, June 24.