University of Virginia Health System announced plans to spend $30 million on wage increases to retain and reward staff, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from New York, Virginia, and Washington.

• New York: St. Mary's Healthcare on Monday announced that Keith Waters will take over as CFO and VP of finance. He succeeds Rick Henze, who is retiring. President and CEO of St. Mary's Healthcare, Scott Bruce, said, "We are grateful to Rick for his strong leadership and commitment to the mission of St. Mary's over years." Bruce added, "He has played a key role in our ministry's growth, our transition from Ascension Health, and with our conversion to a new electronic medical records platform." (Jensik, Becker's Hospital Review, 10/5)

• Virginia: University of Virginia Health System on Tuesday announced that it plans to spend $30 million on pay increases in fiscal year 2022 as part of the organization's plan to recruit and retain talent. According to CEO Wendy Horton, "As we continue to experience the impact of the pandemic, we are extremely mindful of the current operational challenges that impact our team members." Horton added, "We have prioritized compensation as essential to our operations, and the more than $30 million we are devoting to compensation is a significant budget increase from previous years." (Plescia, Becker's Hospital Review, 10/6)

• Washington: The Seattle City Council on Monday voted unanimously to decriminalize various naturally occurring psychedelics, including psilocybin. Under the new measure, "the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of anyone engaging in entheogen-related activities should be among The City of Seattle's lowest law enforcement priorities." And according to Councilmember Andrew Lewis, "A community conversation intended to reconcile government policy with emerging medical research regarding potential benefits of psychedelics is already well underway." (Reyes, Axios, 10/6)