CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 28, 2026 – Advocate Health is making one of the largest single-year investments into its teammates’ compensation growth in the organization’s history. The third-largest nonprofit health system in the country announced today $776 million in additional workforce investments for 2026, reaffirming its commitment to delivering nationally competitive compensation and strengthening the teammate experience for its more than 165,000 employees. As part of this investment, the organization will implement a unified minimum starting wage of $18.85 per hour across the entire enterprise’s six-state footprint, which will be reflected on the teammates’ Jan. 30 paychecks.
This milestone — achieved just one year after setting the goal of a single, system‑wide minimum starting rate — is the latest step in Advocate Health’s work to transform its total rewards strategy. As part of that transformation, Advocate Health has also revamped and harmonized its educational assistance program and its paid volunteer time off benefit.
In 2026, Advocate Health harmonized its benefits programs, investing $840 million in retirement benefits and $1.8 billion in teammate health coverage. This includes a $40 million strategic reinvestment to enhance medical and well-being programs — expanding mental health access, advancing women’s health initiatives and introducing zero out-of-pocket virtual care as part of its medical plan offerings.
“Leading with fairness, clarity and market-competitiveness is how we strengthen trust with our teammates,” said Nakesha Lopez, executive vice president and chief people and culture officer for Advocate Health. “Our $776 million increased investment in compensation, including our new, enterprise‑wide minimum starting wage, ensures every one of our teammates can count on consistent, competitive pay, allowing them to better support their families and reducing financial stress.”
Since the 2022 combination that created Advocate Health, the employer has made significant, sustained investments in its workforce, including yearly minimum starting rate increases that have significantly outpaced — in many cases more than doubled — the current minimum wage standards in every market where it serves patients. An Advocate Health teammate earning the starting rate would earn over $24,000 per year more than they would if they were paid the federal minimum wage, assuming a 40-hour work week.
A unified approach to competitive compensation
Advocate Health’s $776 million workforce investment advances a comprehensive compensation framework that includes:
- A unified $18.85 minimum starting rate across all divisions — delivering consistency and creating a stable, competitive enterprise-wide entry wage for roles such as environmental services technicians, food service assistants, patient safety attendants and patient and equipment transporters
- Annual merit planning and pay-range adjustments, shaped by teammate feedback, to stay aligned with evolving market conditions.
- Investments in pay structures, pay grades and eligible base pay increases to strengthen retention and support workforce stability.
“We are committed to offering compensation that honors the skill, dedication and compassion our teammates bring to their work every day,” Lopez said. “By investing in our people, while balancing strong financial stewardship, we’re able to attract and retain exceptional talent and ensure every teammate feels valued, supported and empowered to grow with us.”
In determining pay structures, including minimum wage, across the enterprise, Advocate Health partners with leading third-party compensation consultants, participates in national market surveys and analyzes reliable, law-compliant pay data to ensure its compensation rates are competitive, equitable and aligned with industry standards.
Supporting teammate well‑being and growth
In addition to the $776 million compensation increase investment, Advocate Health is continuing to streamline and improve its education assistance offering as part of a broader benefits harmonization initiative. The new education assistance benefit is both more generous and, now, available to all full- or part-time teammates across the enterprise.
Teammates can begin using the education assistance benefit on their first day of employment for more than 1,300 online programs, including associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees; professional courses and certificates; English language learning; and high school diplomas. Annual tuition coverage — paid upfront, directly to the school for eligible programs and teammates or as tuition reimbursement — includes $5,250 for full-time teammates and $2,625 for part-time teammates, with enhanced support of up to $7,500 per year for select nursing programs.
Advocate Health’s education assistance benefit also includes an industry-leading loan repayment program, with a lifetime maximum of $21,000 for full-time teammates and $10,500 for part-time teammates with existing federal or private student loans.
“Our teammates bring incredible dedication and heart to their work, and our responsibility is to create the conditions for them to thrive,” said Michele Smith, vice president of workforce development and career innovation for Advocate Health. “By expanding opportunities for skill‑building, career advancement and long‑term growth, we’re removing real barriers and opening doors. When our teammates have the support they need to succeed and grow, every patient and every community we serve benefits.”
Advocate Health provided more than 16,500 teammates, including over 5,100 frontline teammates, with almost $29 million in upfront tuition and tuition reimbursement in 2025. An additional 4,100 teammates received more than $12 million in loan repayment support.
As part of Advocate Health’s medical and well‑being benefits for 2026, teammates now have enhanced and personalized coverage for family planning, adoption, surrogacy and menopause. Teammates also gain access to comprehensive mobile mental health resources, including no‑cost virtual therapy, coaching and self‑guided tools, along with expanded work‑life services to support the well-being of their families.
“These benefits reflect our commitment to supporting our teammates during all stages of life and through all available pathways of family and person health,” Lopez said. “We believe that caring holistically for our teammates strengthens both individual well-being and the communities we serve."
Advocate Health also recently introduced a new benefit to encourage volunteerism, providing teammates up to 12 hours of paid time off each year to support causes they care about in the communities where they live and work. This program strengthens the organization’s “for all” mission by empowering teammates to contribute their skills, compassion and lived experiences to qualified local nonprofit organizations — helping advance health, community resilience and well‑being beyond the walls of the health system’s hospitals and clinics.
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