Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
NEW ORLEANS – Today, Ochsner Health has announced a minimum wage increase from $8.10 per hour to $12 per hour, effective January 20, 2019. This initiative will increase overall annual pay to more than 1,200 employees across the health system.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, in 2017 approximately 3.6% of hourly workers in Louisiana – nearly 40,000 people – earn at or below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.* In 2017, Ochsner conducted a comprehensive environmental assessment of employee needs which included data from the larger Louisiana landscape and direct input from our stakeholders. Ochsner is committed to offering competitive compensation and benefits packages.
“People are our most important asset. As the largest private employer in Louisiana, we understand our responsibility to be a great place to work for those who have chosen careers at Ochsner,” said Warner Thomas, CEO and President, Ochsner Health System. “Although Ochsner was already well above the current Louisiana minimum wage, we wanted to do more. We are committed to growing jobs and to offering new and innovative programs that provide financial wellness, workforce development and lifelong learning opportunities to our own team and to those who want to join us.”
“Over the last five years, we’ve seen the organization grow tremendously to support the healthcare needs of local communities and patients across the Gulf South. It is important to improve the overall financial wellbeing of our employees, and the Board is proud to support this initiative,” said Andy Wisdom, Board Chairman, Ochsner Health System.
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Source: U.S Bureau of Labor and Statistics https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/minimum-wage/2017/home.htm
Ochsner Health is Louisiana’s largest non-profit, academic, healthcare system. Driven by a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate, coordinated clinical and hospital patient care is provided across the region by Ochsner's 40 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and specialty hospitals and more than 100 health centers and urgent care centers. Ochsner is the only Louisiana hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best Hospital” across three specialty categories caring for patients from all 50 states and more than 60 countries worldwide each year. Ochsner employs nearly 25,000 employees and over 4,500 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties, and conducts more than 700 clinical research studies. Ochsner Health is proud to be a tobacco-free environment. For more information, please visit ochsner.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.