South Jordan, Utah – Steward Health Care’s Western Region leadership team is pleased to announce that, effective September 19, 2021, the minimum wage for all Utah-based hospital employees will increase to $15 per hour, double the current federal minimum wage. This increase will positively affect roughly 350 employees in 49 hospital departments, both clinical care and support functions.

“At Steward, we are passionate about compensating our employees with a market competitive wage reflective of their commitment to our patients,” said Brian Dunn, President of Steward’s Western Region. “Our employees have exhibited loyalty and dedication throughout the pandemic and beyond. We are committed to ensuring that we compensate our valued staff fittingly, now and always.”

In addition to the minimum wage increase, Steward also recently announced merit increases for all employees and realigned specialty nursing wages. Nurses in advanced care areas were given pay increases to reflect advanced certifications and critical care nursing skills. The new pay scales more commensurate nursing skill and competency with appropriate pay practices.

“Offering a competitive living wage for our hard-working caregivers is very important towards our goal of being a top employer of choice. Our goal is to ensure that our employees can adequately provide for their families while supporting our mission of caring for our patients and our community,” said Dunn. “We will continue to monitor and assess the market and make adjustments as necessary as part of our comprehensive compensation program which also includes paid leave, insurance and retirement.”

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About Steward Health Care - Steward Health Care is the largest private, for-profit health care network in the United States. The company is owned and led by a management team of Steward physicians.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Steward Health Care operates hospitals in 10 U.S. states including Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah. Additionally, Steward operations hospitals internationally in the nations of Malta and Colombia. Steward employs more than 44,000 health care professionals and regularly receive top awards for quality and patient safety. The Steward network includes multiple urgent care centers and skilled nursing facilities, substantial behavioral health services, more than 7,000 beds under management, and approximately 2.2 million full risk covered lives through the company's managed care and health insurance services.

The Steward Health Care Network includes more than 5,000 physicians across 800 communities who help to provide more than 12 million patient encounters annually. Steward Medical Group, the company's employed physician group, provides more than six million patient encounters per year. For more information, visit www.steward.org