![st-charles-bend-hosp](https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2015/02/26113156/st-charles-Bend-hosp-150x150.jpg)
Bend, Ore. -Registered nurses at St. Charles Medical Center have approved a new 3 year contract.
The 700 plus nurses are represented by the Oregon Nurses Association . The new contract hopes to improve patient care and help retain and attract quallfied nurses to the Bend community.
The two sides negotiated for 6 months. Besides salary increases, one highlight of the contract includes staffing plans to prioritize patient care and legally mandated breaks for nurses. Another part of the contract sets up a committee to talk to nurses and patients about their experience at St. Charles.
The Oregon Nurses Association says the contract term is retroactive and effective from July 1, 2015 to July 1, 2018. The agreement includes wage increases totaling 8.25 percent over the life of the contract to help retain and attract the experienced nurses necessary to meet rising health care demands in one of the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas.
The Oregon Nurses Association represents more than 700 nurses at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend and more than 12,000 nurses statewide.
ONA was founded in 1904 as the professional association for nurses in Oregon. It is a nonprofit association and a labor union representing registered nurses.
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