UnityPoint raises minimum wage to $15 per hour

UnityPoint Health will increase its minimum wage to $15 per hour in January for Iowa and Illinois employees, the West Des Moines-based health care provider said Wednesday.

The increase will affect about a third of UnityPoint's 30,000 employees, including nursing assistants and those working in housekeeping and food service, according to a news release.

'We know there's a strong tie between a person's financial health and overall health,” John Sheehan, UnityPoint's chief administrative officer, said in the news release.

UnityPoint, which has 40 hospitals in the Midwest - as well as St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids - and is one of the largest health care providers in the country, already paid a $15 minimum wage in Wisconsin.

Comments: (319) 398-8394; john.steppe@thegazette.com