MNA Blog (Page 80)

Recent news and updates from the Minnesota Nurses Association.

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

NOTES ON NURSING

Forced Flu Shots Not the Cure    Too many hospitals, whose mantra is profits, not patient safety, favor forced vaccinations while cutting nursing or housekeeping staff, and denying paid sick leave, as most industrialized nations ensure.

Staffing Danger on Wards      More than 57% of those asked in the survey described their ward or unit as sometimes or always “dangerously understaffed”. Of those who had witnessed poor care, nearly 30% said they had seen it happen regularly.

LABOR UPDATES

Everybody’s Workin’ for … The Health Care Benefits     Three-quarters of retirees said they worked longer than they would have otherwise to maintain access to their health plan.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, February 4, 2013: On forced flu shots; Staffing “dangerously low” in Britain too  »

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

Linda-Hamilton_1by MNA President Linda Hamilton, RN, BSN

After nine years, hospitals are still reporting 314 adverse events that could have been prevented.

Patients are suffering; families are grieving because systems did not adequately protect them from preventable mistakes, such as falls and the development of pressure ulcers.

Beyond the sobering revelations of Wednesday’s 2013 Adverse Health Event report, nurses at the bedside are deeply concerned that other troubling instances are not reported.   We catch our breath with every “near miss,” every late medication, every discharge with hasty instruction.  We provide a safety net through our continual monitoring, but we see the foundation of that net eroding more each day.
… Read more about: Preventable Adverse Events Are a System Failure  »

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In: Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

HEALTH CARE

Docs Weigh In:  Workloads are Unsafe   (JAMA abstract only)  For resident physicians, workload so heavy as to result in physician fatigue is associated with increased medical errors and has led to the implementation of work-hour restrictions.2– 3 For nurses, a recent cross-sectional analysis showed a significant association between patient mortality and low staffing.4 Fourteen states have enacted legislation and/or adopted regulations to address nurse staffing.5

 

LABOR UPDATES

Ford UAW Workers Receive $8,300 Profit Payout    UAW members have not had a wage increase in at least eight years, relying on lump-sum payments and profit sharing for between 20% and 25% of their annual pay, Dziczek said.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, January 30, 2013: Docs weigh in-patients are not safe  »

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In: Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, Politics

nlrb-appointments-unconstitutional

Nurses, autoworkers, janitors, and all union-organized workers depend on one thing to maintain fair working conditions with their employers: the enforcement of the National Labor Relations Act.  Recently, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals struck down President Obama’s appointment of three members to the National Labor Relations Board while the US Senate was on spring break. While this could be just a Washington power grab towards the President or organized labor, or both, but the effect is workers will need to be even more vigilant about their rights in the workplace.

Workers  need a staffed and effective NLRB to decide cases that involve employers violating the National labor Relations Act pertaining to working conditions, organizing efforts, and collective bargaining.  
… Read more about: Union workers caught in middle while NLRB politics shakes out  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

NOTES ON NURSING

OpEd: Report Medical Errors and Caregiver Injuries   Every 24 hours across the nation there are, on average, 4,658 newly identified hospital-acquired infections, 1,369 patient falls and perhaps as many as 800,000 medication errors. Furthermore, injuries to caregivers are among the highest rates of any occupation, with as many as 950 injuries per day in the United States.

HEALTH CARE

A Hospital Bill Without the Hospital    To many people this may be the equivalent of billing for oral surgery after a teeth cleaning. But Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, which owns the dermatology practice, said Reed’s insurer allows the Burlington hospital to charge patients an overhead fee when they are treated by doctors it employs — even when their offices are not located in the hospital but in a medical building 1½ miles away.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, January 28, 2013: Medical errors & caregiver injuries need Presidential priority  »

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In: Uncategorized

Governor Dayton Releases Budget Proposal

On Tuesday, Governor Dayton released his proposal to address Minnesota’s budget deficit, fund important state priorities, and strengthen the middle class while making the tax system fairer.

MNA supports Governor Dayton’s budget plan to invest in the state by fixing the broken system of raising revenue and tip the scales back in favor of the middle class.

Health Care: The Governor’s plan increases and improves access to health care. The plan funds:

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In: Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety, Readmissions, Unsafe Staffing

NOTES ON NURSING

When Paying It Forward Pays Us Back    One such example is the Transitional Care Model (TCM), which provides planning and home follow-up by trained nurses for chronically ill Medicare patients during and after hospitalization. The TCM illustrates a key point. Often, to save money you need to change systems, or add new functions, not just cut things.

Nurse Staffing, Bedsores Remain on Parkland Problem List    Parkland Memorial Hospital has completed 94 percent of the quality and patient safety targets necessary for it to continue receiving federal funding, but the institution continues to struggle in the areas of nurse staffing, timely patient discharges and bedsore prevention, according to a report given to the hospital’s Board of Managers Tuesday.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, January 23, 2013: When paying it forward pays us back; Prolong CPR  »

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In: Labor Unions, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Politics, Uncategorized

For Immediate Release – January 22, 2013
Minnesota Nurses say Move Minnesota Forward

 

MNA Supports Governor’s Budget Proposal that Puts Middle Class Families First

For information:  Rick Fuentes 651.414.2863

612.741.0662

Jan Rabbers 651-414-2861

612.860.6658

 
St. Paul – The Minnesota Nurses Association supports Governor Dayton’s budget plan to invest in the state by fixing the broken system of raising revenue and tip the scales back in favor of the middle class.

“This plan is the safe, responsible and right thing to do,” said MNA President Linda Hamilton, RN, BSN,  “and it will help to get our economy back on track.”
The Governor’s plan invests in the middle class by providing care to those who need it most while investing in middle class priorities, such as education and job creation.
… Read more about: Minnesota Nurses say Move Minnesota Forward  »

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In: Labor Unions, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Patient Safety, Politics, Unsafe Staffing

Staffing for Patient Safety

 

MNA lobbyists are meeting with legislators on a daily basis to move our campaign for patient safety forward. We continue to make progress toward our goal. Earlier this week, members of the MNA Government Affairs Committee visited the Capitol and met with legislators to talk about their experiences at the bedside and the need to ensure that every patient in Minnesota can get the nursing care they need. We will continue to bring you news about this campaign as it unfolds. In the meantime, use the MNA Grassroots Action Center to contact your state senator and representative and let them know how nurse staffing affects your patients.
… Read more about: MNA Legislative Update – January 18, 2013  »