WA sues Providence hospitals over treatment of pregnant workers

The state of Washington filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Providence Health and Services, claiming it violated legal requirements for treatment of pregnant and nursing employees.

The Providence system in Washington includes the Tri-Cities largest hospital, Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla and Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.

The Washington state Office of Attorney General has investigated incidents since 2021 and found employees, including many nurses, were denied their right to an accommodation due to pregnancy or nursing, it said.

Providence received more than 300 requests for pregnancy accommodations in the past five years in its Washington state facilities.

“Taking commonsense steps to keep pregnant and nursing employees and their babies safe and healthy isn’t optional. It’s the law,” said Attorney General Nick Brown, in a statement Wednesday.

Providence said in a statement that it takes concerns about caregiver health and workplace accommodations seriously and continually works to strengthen its policies, training and processes to support its caregivers.

“We strive to fully apply and comply with all relevant federal, state and local laws and regulations government pregnancy-related health needs and accommodations,” it said.

But Brown’s office called the alleged situation “bitterly ironic.”

While thousands of pregnant patients go to Providence facilities for prenatal visits, Providence denied its employees’ requests to attend their own prenatal visits, according to the announcement of the lawsuit.

Providence is the largest health care provider in the state of Washington, operating 35 hospitals in the state, plus clinics, care centers, and hospice and home health programs.

Workers retaliation alleged

Even when Providence granted employees an accommodation for their pregnancy on paper, it often failed or refused to implement accommodations, according to the AG’s Office.

State law requires some accommodations if requested that Providence failed to provide, such as adjusting a no-food-or-drink policy, allowing more frequent sitting, and limiting lifting to no more than 17 pounds, according to the lawsuit.

Other accommodations, such as modifications to an employee’s work station, transfers to less physical work or scheduling flexibility for prenatal visits, are required if they are requested unless an employer shows they would result in significant difficulty or expense, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, alleges that Providence responded to some requests by forcing employees to take leave early when they could have kept working if Providence had allowed reasonable accommodations.

Some employees experienced retaliation after requesting a pregnancy request and were treated with hostility by their supervisors, the lawsuit said. Some were given more difficult duties and others were reprimanded for making a request, according to the lawsuit.

In some instances employees were fired for seeking pregnancy accommodations, the lawsuit alleges, but gives no examples.

Providence employees must file their accommodation requests with a third-party claims administrator. They then routinely wait weeks or months for the request to be processed and may receive no accommodation as they wait, according to the lawsuit.

In other incidents, supervisors deny requests without giving an employee a chance to receive a determination from the claims administrator, according to the lawsuit.

In addition, Providence routinely requests written certification from the employee’s health care provider about the need for accommodation, even in cases for which Washington’s Healthy Starts Act does not allow that, according to the lawsuit.

Lawsuit follows discussions

The lawsuit asks a judge to require Providence to stop unlawful practices, award restitution and damages, and pay the state’s costs for bringing the lawsuit.

The AG’s Office said that before filing the lawsuit it discussed concerns with Providence but was not able to resolve the matter.

Providence said in a statement that it discussed compliance with Washington’s Healthy Starts Act, but that the AG’s Office refused to share meaningful information that would allow it to understand the state’s assertions, address any individual concerns and further refine its processes to better serve caregivers.

“We remain committed to working in good faith to reach an appropriate resolution of any issues and are disappointed by the state’s focus on litigation rather than collaborative efforts to help caregivers,” Providence said in a statement.

“We care deeply about providing a safe, supportive workplace for parents, including paid parental leave benefits, pregnancy-related accommodations, and the necessary flexibility when parents return to work after the birth — or adoption — of a child.”

People who experienced pregnancy discrimination while employed by Providence or its affiliates may email ProvidencePregnancyLawsuit@atg.wa.gov or call 833-660-4877.

This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 3:33 PM with the headline "WA sues Providence hospitals over treatment of pregnant workers."