Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist announced a significant investment in its workforce, raising its minimum starting rate, or the minimum hourly wage, to $18.50 per hour, effective Jan. 12, 2025. The increase recognizes teammates’ contributions to making communities better, while also strengthening the health system’s impact on the local economy.
The starting rate increase is part of a $764 million investment – up more than 35% from the prior year – in compensation programs across all of Advocate Health, of which Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist is a part.
The move reflects an ongoing pledge to create and maintain one of the nation’s top workplaces by supporting the dedicated teammates who deliver compassionate care to patients and communities every day.
“We are incredibly proud of our teammates and recognize just how dedicated they are to caring for patients, leading research discoveries and training the next generation of health care professionals,” said Dr. Julie Freischlag, CEO and chief academic officer of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. “Our teams bring their best to work every day and are essential to our continued success as an academic learning health system. We are so grateful for their outstanding contributions to our patients and our communities.”
Increasing the minimum starting rate for teammates by 6% is one part of a broader effort to take care of the teammates who work tirelessly to keep local communities healthy. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist teammates will now earn at least $11.25 per hour more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
“We are committed to creating an environment where teammates feel valued, supported and empowered,” said Nakesha Lopez, chief people and culture officer at Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the nation. “Compensation is just one of the many ways we invest in, reward and recognize our devoted teammates. By prioritizing our investment in them, we can continue to foster a positive work environment that values long-term growth and development while also setting new standards for excellence in health care delivery.”
In addition, the health system will continue investing in teammates’ career growth, offering market-competitive pay and annual merit increases, as well as incentive plan compensation and premium payments for shift workers and on-call workers.
Advocate Health in 2024 provided $29.5 million in educational assistance to more than 8,000 teammates and more than $253 million in annual merit increases.
Media contacts:
Jenna Kurzyna, jkurzyna@wakehealth.edu; Joe McCloskey, jmcclosk@wakehealth.edu