UnityPoint Health appoints executive director for rural health partnerships. UnityPoint Health announced on Sep. 10 the appointment of Jenn Crimmins as Executive Director, Rural Health Partnerships, a newly created role aimed at strengthening rural health care in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. In this position, Crimmins will be responsible for developing and sustaining strategic partnerships to enhance access to local, high-quality, and financially sustainable health care across rural communities. Dr. Greg Johnson, Chief Medical Officer at UnityPoint Health, said, "People who live in rural areas deserve dependable access to health care. Creating this role reflects our commitment to working side by side with rural hospitals, clinics, and local leaders to support strong care models for the future. Jenn's operational experience and relationship-focused approach will be important as we build partnerships that improve access, coordination, and outcomes for patients and families." Crimmins previously served as Vice President of Clinic Operations in the Fort Dodge Market, where she supported clinic teams and advanced work connected to rural health priorities. "I've seen firsthand how challenges in rural health care can negatively affect patients, families, employers and local economies," Crimmins said. "I'm honored to take on this role and continue working with rural partners to build practical, sustainable solutions that help people get the care they need." UnityPoint Health has advanced its efforts in rural health through local partnerships, clinical improvement initiatives, research projects and community engagement activities. The organization continues ongoing work with rural partners aimed at understanding unique community needs while reducing barriers to care.

Lawsuit accuses UnityPoint of underpaying workers. Lawsuit alleges UnityPoint workers lost wages through disputed timekeeping practices. A proposed class action lawsuit against UnityPoint Health claims thousands of hourly workers may have been paid for less time than they actually worked. The case, filed in federal court in Iowa, centers on the way the hospital system recorded employee work hours and whether its timekeeping system caused workers to lose pay. The lawsuit was brought by Jennifer Randolph and Maggie McMahon, two former or current UnityPoint workers, on behalf of themselves and other hourly employees. The filing says UnityPoint broke federal wage law and Illinois wage laws by using a timekeeping system that rounded employee clock-in and clock-out times in a way that favored the company. UnityPoint Health operates hospitals and medical centers across Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. The health system says it has about 29,000 employees and brings in more than $4.7 billion in annual revenue. Because a large part of its workforce is paid by the hour, even small changes in recorded work time could add up when spread across many employees. According to the lawsuit, UnityPoint has used Kronos (UKG) to keep track of hours worked by hourly staff for about a decade. The filing claims the system was set up to remove certain minutes from an employee's recorded time when the worker arrived before a scheduled shift or stayed after it ended. One example the lawsuit includes involves a worker scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. If that employee clocked in at 8:53 a.m., the filing says the extra seven minutes were not counted as paid time. A similar issue allegedly occurred when workers stayed as much as seven minutes beyond the scheduled end of a shift. The lawsuit argues that these small amounts of unpaid time could become a much larger loss when repeated across days, weeks and years. The plaintiffs say the number of affected workers and the length of time the practice allegedly continued could result in a large amount of unpaid wages. Randolph worked as a registered nurse for UnityPoint for about 16 years at facilities in Bettendorf, Rock Island and Moline. McMahon worked at UnityPoint's Rock Island facility from June 2006 until March 2024. Their case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, where UnityPoint Health is based. The plaintiffs are asking the court to allow the case to move forward as a class action. They are also seeking unpaid wages, additional damages allowed under wage laws and payment of legal costs. Nate Boulton, a Des Moines attorney with Hedberg & Boulton and a former Iowa state senator, is representing the plaintiffs. The Iowa case follows an earlier lawsuit filed by the same two workers in Illinois in April 2026. That case was later dropped after the new case was filed in Iowa. In the Illinois case, UnityPoint denied the allegations, including the claim that its system rounded employee hours in a way that reduced pay. The company also denied paying hourly workers based on rounded times instead of their actual hours. UnityPoint has not yet filed its response. If the case is allowed to continue as a class action, more workers could potentially become part of the lawsuit and seek payment for time they say was not properly recorded or paid.

UnityPoint Health among four companies to lay off workers. September 2, 2026 Get Its Email Newsletter The companies, people and issues shaping business in Madison and the Capital Region. UnityPoint Health plans to let go of more than 317 workers nationwide, including 18 Wisconsin workers who work remotely, according to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The health care provider, which operates Unity Point Health-Meriter in Madison, said the layoffs are "part of a strategic plan to realign core services and outsource revenue cycle functions." The final day for the Unity Point Health workers is Feb. 28, 2027. Also reporting layoffs were: * Foremost Farms USA, a dairy farm co-op headquartered in Middleton, which plans to close its Marshfield location in December, affecting 68 workers; * Durr CTS Inc., an environmental technology company, which announced plans to eliminate 75 jobs by closing its De Pere facility; * Samuel Pressure Vessel Group, which will cut 76 positions by closing its Tomahawk facility.