Providence Health warned state officials Monday that a looming strike involving thousands of nurses and physicians across multiple facilities will create a "significant risk" for health care in Oregon.
As a result, the hospital system will start limiting admissions at one of its Portland-area hospitals.
Health care workers represented by the Oregon Nurses Association plan to strike starting Friday morning after delivering a 10-day notice to Providence last week. ONA has said that this would be the largest health care worker strike in state history, and the first to include doctors.
In a statement, Providence chief executive Jennifer Burrows admitted that while striking nurses can be replaced with temporary workers, physicians can't to the same extent. The strike will include nurses at all eight Providence hospitals, but also extends to attending physicians, or hospitalists.
The largest impact will be on the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center campus, Providence said. Between 60 and 70 physicians there are expected to join the strike.