MNA Blog (Page 71)

Recent news and updates from the Minnesota Nurses Association.

On:
In: Bargaining, Health Care Reform, Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses

On Thursday, October 17, MNA nurses are taking their concerns directly to management at Sanford hospitals.  At Bagley, nurses are concerned they’re being asked to cover more patient assignments for each nurse and doctor.  At Thief River Falls, nurses are concerned their own health insurance benefits are being cut.  In Bemidji, nurses are concerned that untrained staff are monitoring patients on telemetry.
… Read more about: Video: Thief River Falls petition to Sanford HR  »

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In: Bargaining, Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Patient Safety Standards, Unsafe Staffing

On Thursday, October 17, MNA nurses are taking their concerns directly to management at Sanford hospitals.  At Bagley, nurses are concerned they’re being asked to cover more patient assignments for each nurse and doctor.  At Thief River Falls, nurses are concerned their own health insurance benefits are being cut.  In Bemidji, nurses are concerned that untrained staff are monitoring patients on telemetry equipment.
… Read more about: Bagley nurses deliver message to hospital management  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses

Coming to the 109th Nurses Convention?  Grab a great deal at the Minnesota Nurses Association Foundation Silent Auction.  The 6th annual silent auction to benefit the MNAF includes original art, theater tickets, hotel stays, skin treatments, haircuts, and concert passes.
All of the money generated from the silent auction goes to the grants and scholarships awarded to nurses studying important health and wellness issues facing Minnesotans. In 2013, the MNAF awarded $91,000.00 total to 37 recipients.

Here are some items:

Hosko print

Signed, limited-edition pen and ink illustration by Bill Hosko of the Hoskogallery
… Read more about: Auction to benefit MNAF  »

On:
In: Activism, Bargaining, Nurses

KinnicnursesMNA nurses had gone through three negotiation sessions with Grace, the latest owners of the Kinnic Nursing Home in River Falls, Wisconsin.  They last left the table with management trying to take away family leave language, leave of absence days,  to radically limit time for jury duty, and even reduce days off for the death of a child or spouse.

MNA nurses looked like they were headed toward mediation to get a new contract, but then they started showing that nurses were standing together.   Bobbi Spence, and Suzanne Kitzmann, LPNs and bargaining unit leaders, started handing out red wristbands to their fellow union members.. 
… Read more about: Even a small unit can have a big effect  »

On:
In: Bargaining, Hospitals, Nurses

Back in 2008, a lot of working folks planning for retirement saw their savings dwindle.  Some saw their net worth spiral downward pretty quickly.  For example, someone who had to invest in a 401(k) retirement fund opened statements to see that a savings of $10,000 had dwindled to $7,000.  Those that could wait have been riding out their disappointment (as well as not opening their retirement savings notices anymore).  Only now, five years later, are they starting to see their nest egg return to its pre-recession figures.  Of course, anyone who needed to retire in 2008 had to cash out for pennies on the dollar.
… Read more about: Nurses are protecting their pensions  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Patient Safety Standards, Unsafe Staffing

Dirty money concept.For the second time this month, financial experts are predicting a tough year ahead for the non-profit hospital industry.  First, Standard & Poor’s rating services analyst said profit ratios will be down in 2013 (link here)  Now, Moody’s Investors Service is saying expenses outpaced revenue last year as patient revenue slipped by half a percent (found here).  What’s more, both reports say that efficiencies in hospital business were actualized last year and won’t produce any more savings in the future.  In other words, hospitals got lean and can’t get leaner.

Add to that the paralyzing fear many hospital CEOs are feeling over the effects of the Affordable Care Act, reduced payments from many insurance companies (such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield), and reduced government dollars for patients who are readmitted. 
… Read more about: Hospitals bleeding money?  »

On:
In: Politics

Ok, in a few short weeks, Minnesotans and Wisconites will have an answer to the question of which state has the better football team, but the debate over which state has a better jobs and overall business climate is already ongoing.

Credit Minnesota representative Joe Atkins with trying to answer this question definitively.  Atkins said the discussion has contained far too much exaggeration on both sides of the border, and he convened a hearing of the House Commerce and Consumer Protection, Finance, and Policy Committee.

The facts are, Minnesota’s jobless rate is 5.3 percent, Wisconsin’s is 7.1 percent (source).
… Read more about: Minnesota vs. Wisconsin: who’s winning the jobs battle?  »