Saint Francis Healthcare System announced last week it will raise its minimum hourly wage to $15, effective Oct. 24. The pay adjustment will reportedly affect more than 600 Saint Francis employees, or 22% of the health care system's workforce.

The wage increase, according to Saint Francis president and CEO Maryann Reese, is in keeping with the health care system's Catholic identity to affirm the human dignity of its employees and is not based on external market forces.

"Since 2018, Saint Francis has repeatedly raised its minimum hourly pay to ensure all colleagues have an opportunity to earn a livable wage," she said in a statement released by the organization. "We believe this is a tangible expression of our Catholic heritage and the mission begun by our founding Franciscan sisters nearly 150 years ago."

The wage adjustment represents an additional investment of "more than $2 million" in the health care system's staff, according to the Saint Francis statement.

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