Will HealthEast-Fairview Merger Hurt Nurses?

By Mathew Keller RN JD

Regulatory and Policy Nursing Specialist

This past January, Pocono Medical Center (“PMC”) in Pennsylvania announced plans of a merger with Lehigh Valley Health Network. As details became more apparent, it was obvious that staffing changes and layoffs connected to the merger would affect more than 100 PMC nurses.

It’s no surprise that the word “merger” has come to be associated with “restructuring,” and “restructuring” with “layoffs.” And if a merger between a single medical center and a larger health system can affect 100 nurses, how much larger of an impact could a merger of two giant systems, such as HealthEast and Fairview, have?

Indeed, many nurses are concerned with the recently announced merger between HealthEast and Fairview, which will create the metro’s largest healthcare provider. How will this merger impact staffing? Patient care? Our co-workers? Our own jobs? Answers have not been forthcoming. Neither Fairview nor HealthEast have answered reporters’ questions regarding layoffs.

“Many nurses are concerned,” said Mary Turner, President of the Minnesota Nurses Association, “that’s why we are calling on both Fairview and HealthEast to be completely transparent, open, and honest throughout the entire merger process.”

Fortunately, most HealthEast/Fairview facilities have strict language regarding layoffs in their MNA contracts. Unfortunately, not every facility is covered by an MNA contract.

“We worry about our brother and sister nurses across each healthcare system, not just those that are protected by MNA,” said Turner.

Happily, the PMC nurses in Pennsylvania experienced a somewhat reasonable outcome as a result of their merger—the Union saved 87 RN jobs from being impacted, a far cry from original estimates.

With the backing of an MNA contract, here’s hoping for an even better result from the HealthEast-Fairview merger.