{"id":388621,"date":"2026-01-05T05:35:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T05:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/388621\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T05:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T05:35:08","slug":"patients-air-their-concerns-during-healthcare-town-hall-as-logan-health-providers-look-to-unionize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/388621\/","title":{"rendered":"Patients Air Their Concerns During Healthcare Town Hall as Logan Health Providers Look to Unionize"},"content":{"rendered":"

Union representatives sat in front of a room full of patients and healthcare providers on Saturday afternoon, listening as members of the audience shared their personal experiences receiving care at Logan Health facilities. Organizers from the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD) hosted the town hall to hear the opinions of patients as Logan Health primary care providers prepare to vote<\/a> on whether to unionize with UAPD later this month.<\/p>\n

Dan Jacobs, a heart transplant patient and retired nurse, said he worked at Logan Health when it was still called Kalispell Regional Medical Center. He described attending the hospital now as a heart transplant patient and having difficulty getting appointments and hearing back from doctors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want this to be a good place, like it was a good place when we were nurses,\u201d Jacobs said, referencing he and his wife who had both worked as nurses. \u201cIt\u2019s not how this community grew up in healthcare.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the healthcare providers first announced they would vote to unionize, Logan Health\u2019s Chief Medical Officer Cory Short said that hospital administration would respect the providers\u2019 \u201clegal rights to make their own individual decisions in the process,\u201d noting that he believed \u201cthe best way to address concerns and deliver on our mission is through direct, open and trusted communication between employees and our management team.\u201d<\/p>\n

An orthopedic surgeon and patient, Dr. Chad Ferguson shared his experience navigating the healthcare system as a patient with a rare spinal condition, relying on his primary care physician as a \u201cquarterback\u201d to help him understand his condition, set up appointments and fill out disability paperwork.<\/p>\n

\"\"Orthopedic surgeon and patient Dr. Chad Ferguson shares his experience with the health care system since developing a rare spinal condition, at a town hall hosted by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists at the Northwest Montana History Museum in Kalispell on Jan. 3, 2026. Hunter D\u2019Antuono | Flathead Beacon<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a hard thing for them to put their mind around, especially when they\u2019re being asked to see 25% more patients for the same pay, you know,\u201d Ferguson said. \u201cWhat are you going to do if you don\u2019t have a good primary care doctor? Because good doctors leave and they go find a better situation elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

UAPD President Dr. Stuart Bussey and Donna Nelson, a Logan Health nurse and delegate for SEIU Healthcare 1199NW, the bargaining unit for 650 Logan Health nurses, responded to patients concerns. Bussey encouraged attendees to create a patient advocacy group, and Nelson pointed to unionizing as a way for providers to successfully advocate for their patients\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou deserve as a member of this community to have the best care possible,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cWhen employers of any kind don\u2019t take care of their employees, who suffers? Those receiving the services from those employees. We want to make that change. Physicians are standing up and saying, \u2018no, we\u2019re not going to do this anymore, our patients deserve better\u2019 \u2013 and that\u2019s what we\u2019re here to support.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Donna Nelson, member of the SEIU union and a Logan Health nurse appears at the \u201cPutting Patients First Healthcare Town Hall,\u201d hosted by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists at the Northwest Montana History Museum in Kalispell on Jan. 3, 2026. Hunter D\u2019Antuono | Flathead Beacon<\/p>\n

Logan Health healthcare providers filed to unionize at the beginning of December, citing that despite attempts to bring concerns to hospital administration, staffing shortages and unsustainable workloads have continued to make a patient-centered model of care unfeasible. They\u2019ve also said they\u2019re concerned about the system of centralized scheduling that routes patients to hospital staff to make appointments at their respective clinics, and that it means scheduling decisions are made without knowing a doctors preference, \u201cmaking it very difficult for people to be seen,\u201d one primary care physician said in a conversation last week with the Beacon.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIf you call in and want to talk to a nurse, that also goes to a pool of people who have never set foot inside of our clinic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Logan Health primary care doctors and advanced practice providers are set to cast their votes on whether to unionize with UAPD on January 14 and 15. Providers from Kalispell, Lakeside, Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Eureka, Whitefish and Polson will be taking part in the vote.<\/p>\n

\"\"Points brought up by patients, healthcare providers and community members about the state of health care in Northwest Montana at a town hall hosted by the Union of American Physicians and Dentists at the Northwest Montana History Museum in Kalispell on Jan. 3, 2026. Hunter D\u2019Antuono | Flathead Beacon<\/p>\n

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