New system-wide minimum wage to be set at $11.70

Cape Girardeau, Missouri -  Next month, Saint Francis Healthcare System will raise its minimum hourly pay to ensure all employees have the opportunity to earn a livable wage. 

Effective July 8, the Healthcare System’s new minimum hourly rate will be increased to $11.70, which means raises for more than 200 employees – nearly eight percent of the total Saint Francis workforce.

President and CEO, Dr. Maryann Reese, said the wage increase is not based on the external market, rather the decision is rooted in the mission and values of Saint Francis Healthcare System and affirms the human dignity of all our employees.

“This decision goes to the core of our principles as a Catholic Healthcare System,” she said. “As we continue our efforts to lower costs and make the Healthcare System more efficient and functional for patients, we cannot risk overlooking our own colleagues in the process. Doing the right thing includes making sure we care for all members of the Saint Francis Family.” 

The new hourly rate is double what an individual would need to stay above the federal poverty rate, according to this year’s figures. 

“From surgeons to support staff, each one of our colleagues provides the necessary services that allow Saint Francis Healthcare System to continue serving our communities,” Reese said. “They all deserve a wage that can sustain them, and we are proud to be able to provide that.”

Bishop Edward Rice, head of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, praised the decision saying that, in raising minimum wages, Saint Francis Healthcare System has strengthened its Catholic identity.  

“The changes recently announced at Saint Francis show respect for the dignity of our workers,” Bishop Rice said. “It affirms their value and will promote the well-being of families.”

Saint Francis Healthcare System is guided by the mission to provide a ministry of healing, wellness, quality and love inspired by faith in Jesus Christ. Founded by Franciscan Sisters in 1875, the priority remains the same: serve all who enter with dignity, compassion and joy. Serving nearly 713,000 people across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas, the focus is on patients' outcomes, experience and value.

Anchored by Saint Francis Medical Center, a 308-bed tertiary hospital, and supported by nearly 2,800 employees and more than 250 providers in 11 communities, the Healthcare System is a driving economic force in the region. Major services include Cancer Institute, Emergency and Level III Trauma Center, Family Birth Place and the region's Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Heart Hospital, Neurosciences and Orthopedics.