The largest health care strike in Oregon history began early Friday at Providence across the state, as roughly 5,000 frontline health professionals walked off the job. The strike — which includes mostly nurses and 150 doctors and advanced practitioners in addition to thousands of nurses — spans Providence’s eight hospitals in the state.

Nearly 5,000 doctors and nurses at several Providence hospitals and clinics hit the picket lines Friday in what could be the largest health care worker strike i

Close to 5,000 Providence nurses and about 150 doctors, midwives and advanced practice providers went on strike indefinitely starting Friday morning.

Nearly 5,000 nurses, physicians and other caregivers from eight Providence hospitals and six Providence clinics began an open-ended strike at 6 a.m. Friday. “This is truly a historic event,” Oregon Nurses Association Executive Director Anne Tan Piazza said at a Thursday new conference.

With concern growing over hospital care as a Friday strike looms at Providence Hospitals, representatives from the Oregon Nurses Association held a press conference to update the public on their preparations.

Oregon’s Providence hospitals and nearly 5,000 of its workers have yet to agree on terms to bump wages and address staffing shortages. That means the largest health care strike in the state’s history will begin Friday morning.

With concern growing over hospital care as a Friday strike looms at Providence Hospitals, representatives from the Oregon Nurses Association will hold a press conference to update the public on their preparations.