MNA Blog (Page 77)

Recent news and updates from the Minnesota Nurses Association.

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In: Legislative Policy, National Nurses United, Robin Hood Tax

Media Advisory:
Congressman Keith Ellison

MEDIA ADVISORY: Rep. Keith Ellison to Unveil Inclusive Prosperity Act Outside Capitol

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2013
Press Contacts
Jeremy Slevin– (202) 225-4755

WASHINGTON –Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Chief Deputy Whip, will announce the reintroduction of his Inclusive Prosperity Act tomorrow, which adds a tax of a fraction of a percent on transactions done by Wall Street firms and stock traders. In 2011, 40 countries had a similar tax, as did the U.S. until 1966. This tax would reduce harmful financial market speculation, discourage high-volume, high-speed trading, and slow down the proliferation of ever more complex derivatives.
… Read more about: MEDIA ADVISORY: Rep. Keith Ellison, NNU’s Jean Ross to Unveil Inclusive Prosperity Act  »

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In: Healthcare, Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association, Politics

By Linda Hamilton, RN, BSN

Attorney General Lori Swanson deserves the gratitude of all Minnesotans for hitting the brakes on the possible Sanford Health-Fairview Health Services merger that meant a takeover of our University of Minnesota Medical Center.  Taxpayers can have confidence that the educational, training, and research facilities they’ve paid for and donated to will stay in local hands.  Minnesota patients can rest easy that the mission to do research and care for the toughest cases will remain a priority.

That said, however, we can’t relax that the continued corporatization of health care in the state won’t continue or that patient care will continue to look very different in the future.
… Read more about: Corporate Mergers Need Watching…with a Microscope!  »

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In: Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics, Unsafe Staffing

MNA Legislative Update, April 12, 2013

Standards of Care Update

On Wednesday the revised bill, focusing on transparency for patients and a Minnesota Department of Health study of the correlation between staffing and patient outcomes, passed the House Ways and Means Committee, completing the committee process in the House and moving on to a floor vote.

In the Senate, the bill was passed by the Health and Human Services Finance Committee this morning. There will be one more committee stop in the Senate, which should happen later this month.

Our main objective for the remainder of the 2013 legislative session is to ensure that a comprehensive and accurate study is completed.
… Read more about: MNA Legislative Update April 12, 2013  »

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In: Bargaining, Duluth Bargaining, Healthcare, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

NOTES ON NURSING
Tentative Agreement for St. Lukes Nurses in Duluth   The Minnesota Nurses Association announced late Tuesday that Duluth nurses came to a tentative contract agreement with St. Luke’s hospital that would raise wages 4.5 percent. The three-year agreement would go into effect in July and run into June 2016.  View pictures of the great solidarity action  and a video of MNA’s powerful opening statement

Alarm Fatigue Puts Patients at Risk    The Joint Commission issued a “sentinel event alert” to hospitals, saying that the problem of “alarm fatigue” can jeopardize patients, and it urged hospitals “to take a focused look at this serious patient safety issue.’”  Watch MNA President Linda Hamilton’s interview on Fox 9 News.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, April 10, 2013: Tentative agreement for Duluth RNs; Alarm fatigue puts patients at risk  »

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In: Bargaining, Duluth Bargaining, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses

Incredible show of solidarity as 150 nurses, family members, and fellow union members greet the St. Luke’s bargaining team prior to negotiations. Then, an emotional message from about the importance to respect nurses by offering them a fair offer for their continued hard work under short-staffed situations.
… Read more about: Support and solidarity for Duluth nurses prior to contract talks  »

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In: Uncategorized

Sanford Health has a lot of money and a lot of hospitals, but one more thing they’re bringing to Minnesota is scrutiny.  The nonprofit healthcare giant that runs facilities from Adrian to Wheaton now wants to add the Twin Cities to its corporate footprint, but Sanford executives got an earful of how their arrogance caused them to underestimate the height of the hurdles needed to takeover Fairview Health and the University of Minnesota Medical Center and research labs.

Minnesota Nurses have been talking about the short staffing situations in Bagley, Bemidji, Thief River Falls, and other facilities since Sanford took those over.  MNA President Linda Hamilton and Bemidji bargaining unit chair Peter Danielson were invited to give testimony. 
… Read more about: Sanford put in the hotseat over attempted Fairview/U of M takeover  »

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In: Healthcare, Hospitals, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Unsafe Staffing

NOTES ON NURSING

Better Staffing Would Help  Hospitals Fail to Take Simple Measures to Thwart Deadly Infections    The culprit is a strain of a spore-forming bacterium known as Clostridium difficile, or C. diff—in particular, a relatively recent strain that has grown more virulent and resistant to drugs.

LABOR UPDATES

Twin Cities Metro Plumbers Devote a Day of Service to Help Those in Need   It’s a chance to help Minnesotans who might not otherwise be able turn to a professional plumber, and to reduce wasted expenses going down the drain.

CEO Percs Flying High    Dodd-Frank rules?
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, April 8, 2013: C-Diff on the rise; Swanson grills Sanford execs  »

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In: Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

Standards of Care Update

MNA nurses and representatives continue to meet with legislators to update them on the goals of the Standards of Care Act.  MNA is proposing that hospitals be required to report their staffing plans and actual nurse hours per patient day, and a Department of Health study of hospital staffing and its effect on nursing sensitive indicators like infections, falls and pressure ulcers.  We are confident that a MDH study will validate what nurses already know–that proper nurse staffing leads to better nurse outcomes–but we also recognize the need for Minnesota-specific data.  Our main objective for the remainder of the 2013 legislative session is to ensure that a comprehensive and accurate study is completed. 
… Read more about: MNA Legislative Update, April 5, 2013  »

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In: Uncategorized

KSTP-TV reports the final audit confirms what Minnesota Nurses have long argued-that the healthcare system in the state is need of greater transparency and some of Minnesota’s HMOs owe the taxpayers a refund.

“When taxpayer dollars for patient care are so scarce,” said MNA President Linda Hamilton, “it’s unconscionable that even one penny could be wasted when it could’ve gone to treat somebody’s mother or grandmother.  Instead it’s padding somebody’s bank account somewhere.”

An independent auditor, the Segal Company, reveals in a report issued March 31 the government overpaid the four insurance companies that run the state’s Medicaid program by $207 million. 
… Read more about: Final Report shows taxpayers overpaid HMOs $200 Million  »

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In: Labor Unions, National Nurses United, Politics

Kathleen M. Harrington Mayo
Government Relations, Chair 200 First Street SW Rochester, MN 55905

Dear Ms. Harrington:

Thank you for bringing your Operations staff to meet with leaders from SEIU and UNITE HERE last Friday to discuss the Mayo Destination Medical Center (DMC) and the related legislative proposal. While we have significant concerns and unanswered questions, we are excited about the possibility of significant job growth in the health care and hospitality sectors.

We look forward to meeting again in the very near future and to discussing specific proposals about the future DMC workforce and how collective bargaining can ensure these are quality jobs.
… Read more about: Open letter to Mayo’s Government Relations Chair  »