By Megan Gavin
MNA Education Specialist
MNA Education Specialist
MNA is excited to invite members to a day of workshops with Dr. Alana Glaser, faculty from NNU & Rutgers University’s Women’s Global Health Leadership Program. Alana will speak on the topic of Big Pharma, Inequality, and the Future of American Healthcare. Alana’s research has connected US nursing practice to international concerns of inequality, public health, militarization, and the relationship among these phenomena. She has taught classes on the impact austerity measures, privatization, and the welfare state have on spreading infectious diseases and exacerbating health disparities. Her research interests include domestic and service sector work, migration, class, gender, race, aging, labor process, and political economy. We are very excited to offer MNA nurses a day of workshops on these timely topics:
Big Pharma, Inequality, and the Future of American Healthcare
PART 1: PHARMAKOSIS: WHAT’S WRONG WITH PHARMA, AND HOW TO FIX IT (9:00-12:00)
Today, skyrocketing drug prices are bankrupting patients and taxpayers and keeping lifesaving treatments from the people who need them. This class will explain what is driving this trend and what can be done to reverse it. We will also explore other worrying features of the healthcare-pharmaceutical complex such as: the pursuit of “blockbuster” lifestyle drugs instead of breakthrough cures; the use of patent law to delay or restrict access to generics; and the intensive use of sophisticated marketing techniques aimed at clinicians and patients. Special attention will be given to the ways in which these recent trends are undermining clinical judgment and transforming the nurse-patient relationship. The class will culminate in a discussion of what can be done to remedy these problems.
PART 2: THE INEQUALITY EPIDEMIC (1:00-4:00)
The United States is experiencing its worst epidemic of inequality in nearly a century. In recent years, an increasing share of total income and wealth has become concentrated at the top of the economic spectrum. More and more people find themselves either unemployed or settling for lower pay and less secure jobs. This class will give a detailed overview of the factors contributing to this current trend — with a particular focus on technological change and the growing role of finance in the wider economy, as well as the social, political, and health consequences of inequality. Participants will gain an understanding of why runaway inequality constitutes an unprecedented public health crisis and will be equipped with the knowledge necessary to create a care plan for the nation that can heal the economy and save lives.
If you are interested in free Nursing Contact hours, an opportunity to learn more about NNU’s Women’s Global Health Leadership Program, and a chance to delve into these topics with fellow MNA members, click here to register! And tell your friends!
Agenda
8:30 Registration and Coffee
9:00-12:00 Part 1: Pharmakosis
12:00-1:00 Lunch Provided
1:00-4:00 Part 2: The Inequality Epidemic