MNA Blog

Recent news and updates from the Minnesota Nurses Association.

On:
In: Erin Murphy, Home, Politics, Women

By Megan Gavin

MNA Education Specialist

 

I’ve knocked a few doors in my life, but this weekend I had the best conversations with voters I’ve ever had!

I talked to one man in his early 30s who wasn’t sure who he was voting for. I told him why I was supporting DFL State Rep. Erin Murphy for Governor. I asked this voter what issues mattered to him. He started by saying immigration. He talked about his work and said that it relied on immigrants’ labor. He was concerned about the efforts to curb immigration. He paused, and then he asked me if I knew Erin’s position on, in his words, “protecting his marriage.” I listened as he explained to me that some people don’t want him to be able to stay with his partner.
… Read more about: Doorknocking for Erin Murphy  »

On:
In: Home, Member Blog, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics

By Stefanie Asante-Totimeh, RN

Government Affairs Commissioner

 

As nurses, we are advocates and leaders who continually work on behalf of our patients and community. We are also involved in decisions that affect our workplace and communities when we partake actively in our union and our workplace.

The professional nursing population provides a unique perspective. We celebrate our differences, and, in turn, we are at the forefront of providing patient-centered care and decisions. How then does political awareness come into play with nursing?

Political awareness as a nurse does not necessarily mean being affiliated with a political party.
… Read more about: Nursing and Political Awareness  »

On:
In: Activism, Healthcare, Home, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics

By Shannon Cunningham

MNA Director of Governmental and Community Relations

 

Nurses believed that Erin Murphy would be Minnesota’s DFL endorsed candidate for Governor, and they were right. Nurses also believe that Erin Murphy will be our next Governor.  I’m the lucky one who gets to tell you not only why she should be, but why she will be the first nurse Governor in the United States.

 

While many candidates are approaching the election with caution, Erin Murphy is doing things differently. Instead of focusing on what makes us different and divides us, she is talking about what unites us.
… Read more about: Why Erin Murphy Will Win in August! And November!  »

On:
In: Activism, Elections, Erin Murphy, Governor, Healthcare, Home, Issues, Labor Unions, Nurses, Unions

By Katie Gjertson

MNA Political Coordinator

 

Minnesota’s Primary Election is right around the corner! Eligible voters from every corner of the state will have their chance to cast their ballot in support of the candidates they believe line up with their values, their issues and their vision for the future of Minnesota. Primary elections are our opportunity, as voters, to shape the ticket to reflect what we want it to be in November. Let’s get out the vote for the 2018 Minnesota primary!

Never voted in a Primary Election before? Here are the top ten things you need to know before you head to the polls.
… Read more about: The Top 10 Things You Need to Know to Be a Primary Voter  »

On:
In: Home, Press Releases

Please attribute the following statement to Minnesota Nurses Association President Mary C. Turner:

Nurses in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin who are members of the Minnesota Nurses Association stand with community residents, hospital staff, and patients affected by yesterday’s destructive tornado in Marshalltown, IA.

As the union representing nurses at UnityPoint Health in Marshalltown, MNA nurses recognize and thank area nurses and other healthcare professionals for their dedicated, hard work during this difficult time and for the tough job they’ll continue to do in the coming weeks as the community continues to recover.

Nurses thank the EMTs, firefighters, police, and all the emergency workers who responded so quickly to help keep people and property safe during and after the storm.
… Read more about: Press Release: MNA statement on Marshalltown, IA, tornado  »

On:
In: Home, Press Releases

For Immediate Release

Contact:  Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

Barbara Brady
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
barbara.brady@mnnurses.org

(St. Paul) – July 12, 2018 – Short staffing is an “epidemic with no end,” according to an annual report published by the Minnesota Nurses Association.  MNA analyzed more than 3,000 Concern for Safe Staffing reports filed by registered nurses in 2017 and found a continuing incidence of hospital staffing where nurses had to take care of too many patients at one time.  Nurses reported that, as a result of short staffing, hospital patients didn’t receive medications, assessments, and discharge instructions, among other needs.
… Read more about: Press Release: MNA Nurses Report Short Staffing Pervasive in Minnesota Hospitals  »

On:
In: Activism, Home, Member Blog, Single Payer

By Kathleen Malecki, RN

MNA Member

 

Healthcare reform coalition-building has hit a critical mass milestone in the work of creating a nationwide Healthcare for All (Medicare for All) movement, possibly with an international, intersectional component.  “Healthcare-NOW” is ready to launch an army of organized volunteers to challenge the medical-industrial complex across the USA and globally.

 

This is the long-awaited tipping point. It is time for us to get involved and volunteer to make this happen via deep one-on-one conversations, which are held face-to-face wherever we are with the goal to listen more than talk.
… Read more about: HEALTHCARE NOW CONFERENCE 2018  »

On:
In: Erin Murphy, Home, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

Contact:  Shannon Cunningham
(o) 651-414-2838
(c) 651-269-1418
shannon.cunningham@mnnurses.org
… Read more about: Press Release: Nurses applaud Erin Murphy’s healthcare plan  »​
(St. Paul) –   July 10, 2018 –  Minnesota nurses are excited about the bold healthcare plan released today by gubernatorial candidate Erin Murphy that will make Minnesota the first state in the nation to provide guaranteed, affordable healthcare to everyone.  The “Pathway to Single Payer” plan is a strong blueprint for guaranteeing all Minnesotans affordable, quality healthcare, according to the Minnesota Nurses Association members.
​
The “Pathway to Single Payer” plan will simplify and strengthen the state’s existing healthcare system by expanding access to MinnesotaCare as it’s currently structured, requiring the state to contract directly with healthcare providers, and making medications affordable and available to all state residents.”Nurses believe a system that treats healthcare as a basic human need, not a luxury, is a necessity,” said MNA  President Mary C.

On:
In: Home, Minnesota Nurses Association, National Nurses United, Nurses

By Barb Brady

MNA Communications Specialist

What do you get when you take several hundred nurses and mix in fun, learning, union solidarity, and inspiration? The 2018 MNA Convention and House of Delegates!  It’s Oct. 5-8 at the Radisson Blu in downtown Minneapolis.  MNA nurses will join together to learn about issues important to nurses, network, and set MNA’s course for the next year.

A special bonus this year: National Nurses United is bringing nurses from throughout the country to Minnesota for their national convention at the same time and place.  It’s a great opportunity to connect with nurses from other states in addition to meeting or re-uniting with MNA members! 
… Read more about: Union Rights = Advocacy Rights: Convention 2018  »

On:
In: Activism, Health Care Reform, Home, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Barb Brady
(office) 651-414-2849
(cell) 651-202-0845
barbara.brady@mnnurses.org

Rick Fuentes
(office) 651-414-2863
(cell) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

(Minneapolis) – June 21, 2018 – Hundreds of activists from throughout the U.S. are marching for healthcare that serves patients, not insurance company profits, in downtown Minneapolis on June 22.

They are calling on the U.S. to replace the current broken healthcare system with improved and expanded Medicare for All, which would ensure all Americans receive quality, affordable healthcare.

The march begins outside the Radisson Blu at 35 S 7th St.
… Read more about: Press Release: Activists March for Guaranteed Healthcare in Downtown Minneapolis June 22  »