Registered Nurse

Prime Healthcare recognized among nation's leaders in Social Responsibility by Lown Institute. Twenty-six Prime Healthcare hospitals earned "A" grades for Social Responsibility, while six hospitals were named to the prestigious Lown Honor Roll. ONTARIO, Calif. (July 2, 2026) - Prime Healthcare has been recognized by the 2026 Lown Hospitals Index for its commitment to social responsibility, with 26 hospitals earning "A" grades and six hospitals named to the prestigious Lown Honor Roll. "The Lown Index takes a comprehensive look at who hospitals are - their outcomes, their value and their commitment to community," said Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute. "An 'A' in social responsibility means a hospital has met high standards across the board." The Lown Hospitals Index is the nation's only ranking that evaluates hospitals not only on clinical outcomes and patient safety, but also on health equity, community benefit, inclusivity, value of care and avoidance of unnecessary care. This year, 49 Prime hospitals were evaluated by the Lown Institute, up from 46 last year. Twenty-six hospitals across 10 states earned an overall "A" grade in Social Responsibility, including 10 Prime Healthcare Foundation hospitals and 16 Prime Healthcare Services hospitals. Six hospitals achieved Honor Roll status by earning "A" grades across all measured categories, including Health Equity, Value of Care and Patient Outcomes. As a system, Prime Healthcare Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity, once again earned an "A" grade in Social Responsibility. "The Lown Institute's recognition underscores what drives Prime Healthcare's mission every day: preserving access to care, strengthening the communities we serve, supporting our caregivers and empowering physician leadership to deliver exceptional patient outcomes," said Dr. Sunny Bhatia, President and Chief Medical Officer of Prime Healthcare. "We are proud that so many of our hospitals are being recognized not only for clinical excellence, but also for overall social responsibility and service to their communities. These achievements reflect the hope that patients and families feel when access to health care is preserved for the communities that need it most." The six Prime Healthcare hospitals named to the 2026 Lown Honor Roll are: Several Prime hospitals also received notable state-level distinctions: * Central Maine Medical Center ranked No. 1 in Maine for Patient Safety and Inclusivity * East Liverpool City Hospital ranked No. 1 in Ohio for Social Responsibility * Providence Medical Center ranked No. 1 in Kansas for Social Responsibility, Health Equity, Community Benefit, Inclusivity and Racial Inclusivity * Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital ranked No. 1 in Illinois for Social Responsibility and Top 5 in Illinois for Health Equity, Patient Safety and Inclusivity * Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center ranked No. 1 in Nevada for Social Responsibility, Pay Equity and Cost Efficiency * Saint Michael's Medical Center ranked No. 1 in New Jersey for Health Equity and Inclusivity The Lown Institute recognition adds to a growing list of national honors earned by Prime Healthcare and its hospitals. In 2026, Prime hospitals received more than 150 Healthgrades achievements for clinical excellence and patient safety, seven hospitals were named to Becker's Healthcare's "100 Great Community Hospitals" list, and Prime Healthcare was recognized by Newsweek among America's Greatest Workplaces. Prime Healthcare also ranked among the Top 10 health systems nationwide for Leapfrog "A" Hospital Safety Grades and among the Top 5 nationally for the total number of "A" grades earned.

Prime Healthcare ranks among Top 10 Health systems nationwide for patient safety. Twenty-two Prime hospitals earn "A" Hospital Safety grades from The Leapfrog Group, with Prime also ranking among the Top 5 nationally for "Straight A" performance. ONTARIO, Calif. (June 26, 2026) - Prime Healthcare is proud to announce that it ranks among the Top 10 health systems nationwide for the number of hospitals earning an "A" Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group for Spring 2026, with 22 Prime hospitals across 10 states receiving the organization's highest rating. Prime also ranks among the Top 5 health systems nationally for "Straight A" performance, reflecting sustained excellence in patient safety across its award-winning national system. "The 'A' Grades are a strong sign that hospitals are deeply committed to protecting patients from harm," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "We commend the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers for the role each played in earning these distinctions." As one of the largest physician-founded and physician-led health systems in the United States, Prime Healthcare continues to set the standard for transforming community hospitals into centers of excellence that provide accessible, high-quality, compassionate care. Among the 22 Prime hospitals receiving an "A" grade, 19 have earned consecutive top marks across multiple grading periods, demonstrating a sustained culture of safety and quality. "Patient safety is the foundation of clinical excellence and the promise we make to every patient who entrusts us with their care," said Sunny Bhatia, MD, President and Chief Medical Officer, Prime Healthcare. "This national recognition reflects the daily standard of quality, consistency, and accountability upheld by our physicians, nurses, and caregivers across the country. Safety is not simply a measure of performance at Prime, it is a reflection of who we are." Six Prime Healthcare Foundation hospitals earned an "A" grade, including East Liverpool City Hospital in Ohio, which has achieved 17 "Straight A's" since 2018, and Mission Regional Medical Center in Texas, which has earned 12 consecutive "A" grades since 2020. "We are very proud that several of our Foundation hospitals have earned 'Straight A's' for so many consecutive cycles, which reflects a culture grounded in purpose, accountability, and deep care for the communities we serve," said Kavitha Bhatia, MD, President and Chair of the Prime Healthcare Foundation. "We are truly grateful to our physicians, nurses, and care teams whose commitment to safety and quality brings hope to the lives of patients every day. It is genuinely inspiring." The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the nation's only ratings program focused exclusively on preventable medical errors, infections, and injuries. Grades are peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and updated twice annually, in the spring and fall. This achievement reflects Prime Healthcare's enduring commitment to transforming community hospitals into centers of clinical excellence and ensuring that safe, high-quality, compassionate care remains accessible in communities that need it most. In the past year, Prime hospitals earned more than 150 clinical quality awards from Healthgrades, and Prime hospitals have been named among the nation's "100 Top Hospitals" by Premier 75 times. Recognized by the Lown Institute as a Top 10 Health System for social responsibility, health equity, and clinical outcomes, Prime continues to strengthen hospitals that serve as lifelines for their communities. The full list of Prime Healthcare hospitals receiving Spring 2026 "A" grades is below. * Chino Valley Medical Center, Chino, CA (4 consecutive A's) * Coshocton Regional Medical Center, Coshocton, OH (6 consecutive A's) * Desert Valley Hospital, Victorville, CA (4 consecutive A's) * East Liverpool City Hospital, Liverpool, OH (17 consecutive A's since 2018) * Garden City Hospital, Garden City, MI (9 consecutive A's) * Harlingen Medical Center, Harlingen, TX (10 consecutive A's) * Knapp Medical Center, Weslaco, TX (2 consecutive A's) * Mission Regional Medical Center, Mission, TX (12 consecutive A's since 2020) * Monroe Hospital, Bloomington, IN * Montclair Hospital Medical Center, Montclair, CA (7 consecutive A's) * North Vista Hospital, North Las Vegas, NV (4 consecutive A's) * Paradise Valley Hospital, National City, CA (12 consecutive A's since 2020) * Riverview Regional Medical Center, Gadsden, AL (3 consecutive A's) * Saint Clare's Hospital, Denville, NJ * Saint Joseph Hospital, Elgin, IL (2 consecutive A's) * Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center, Reno, NV (4 consecutive A's) * Saint Michael's Medical Center, Newark, NJ (5 consecutive A's) * Shasta Regional Medical Center, Redding, CA (5 consecutive A's) * St. Francis Medical Center, Lynwood, CA * St. Mary's General Hospital, Passaic, NJ (10 consecutive A's) * St. Mary's Hospital, Kankakee, IL (5 consecutive A's) * St. Mary's Medical Center, Blue Springs, MO (2 consecutive A's) To see full Leapfrog grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

Nurses at St. Joseph's Medical Center file class action lawsuit against Prime Healthcare and Ascension for distress caused by unsafe staffing. June 8, 2026 3:05PM CDT Nurses at St. Joseph's Medical Center, represented by the Illinois Nurses Association, have filed a class action lawsuit against Ascension Healthcare and Prime Healthcare for inflicting severe emotional distress by chronically understaffing the hospital. Due to the hospital's ongoing refusal to meet safe nurse-to-patient ratios, nurses have suffered significant burnout, fatigue, and damage to their mental and physical health. "Every nurse at St. Joseph's has seen a patient suffer because the floor wasn't staffed properly - whether that's a patient falling, experiencing bed sores because they weren't turned over in time, or missing a medication dose. It's traumatizing to watch and know you couldn't help," said Mary Sue Bulger, an RN at St. Joseph's. "Nurses give our all for our patients, but it will never be enough if management refuses to properly staff the hospital." According to the complaint, Ascension and Prime repeatedly breached St. Joseph's legally-mandated nurse staffing plan, forcing nurses to work shifts that put themselves and their patients in danger. Nurses have filed hundreds of "Assignment Despite Objection" forms against the hospital to document the times they were asked to work in a shift that compromised patient safety. These complaints were routinely ignored by St. Joseph's for-profit owners (Ascension Healthcare from 2018 to 2025 and Prime Healthcare from March 2025 to present), leading nurses to feel demoralized, humiliated, and hopeless as they worked themselves to the brink of exhaustion. Under the Illinois Hospital Licensing Act, each Illinois hospital must implement and follow a nurse staffing plan prepared in consultation with a nursing care committee. While there are no legally-mandated nurse-to-patient ratios in Illinois, this plan ensures nurses at each facility have input into their hospital's minimum safe nurse-to-patient ratios and staffing standards. By chronically understaffing shifts, Ascension and Prime repeatedly violated their own staffing plan, which already had lower nurse-to-patient ratios than recommended by the nursing care committee and other industry standards. "By endangering the lives of patients through severe understaffing and forcing [nurses] to watch helplessly as the needs of their patients are ignored [Ascension Healthcare and Prime Healthcare] have engaged in conduct that is unethical, immoral and indifferent to the conduct expected of a hospital, to provide safe and adequate patient care," the complaint reads. Plaintiff nurses in the case include Cathie Wolff, Mary Sue Bulger, Paula Koranda, and Cindy Poe. Only Wolff and Bulger still work at the hospital, as the burnout conditions forced the other two plaintiffs to find employment elsewhere - adding to the exodus of hundreds of nurses who have left St. Joseph's in recent years. The complaint filed by the INA on June 2 represents an innovative strategy that could ultimately provide a legal avenue to force hospitals to staff their facilities properly. The 584 nurses at St. Joseph's are represented by the St. Joseph's Nurses Association, a local bargaining unit of the Illinois Nurses Association. Community members and advocates can send a letter to Prime CEO Prem Reddy demanding the company invest in the hospital and its workers at bit.ly/HoldPrimeAccountable.