Activism (Page 13)

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

Standards of Care Act passes first committee

On Thursday, nurses packed the room for the first hearing of the Standards of Care Act, MNA’s legislation to establish standards for safe care for every Minnesota patient.

The bill was heard in the House Labor, Workplace and Regulated Industries Committee. Testifiers in favor were MNA President Linda Hamilton, Joe Howard, and MNA nurse from Essentia Miller-Dwan in Duluth and Naomi Freyholz a nurse from Sleepy Eye Medical Center. (The nurses at Sleepy Eye voted on Wednesday to join MNA. They chose to organize because of chronic unsafe staffing and retaliation against nurses who voice their concerns.) The hospital testifiers were the President of the Minnesota Hospital Association Lawrence Massa; Carolyn Wilson, President of University of Minnesota Medical Center Fairview; Sandra McCarthy, CNO for Essentia Health; Roger Lloyd, Nursing Manager at Essentia Health in Duluth; and Mary Pynn, HealthEast Vice President and Chief Nursing Quality Officer.
… Read more about: MNA Legislative Update, February 22, 2013  »

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NOTES ON NURSING
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, February 20, 2013: Sleepy Eye Nurses Join MNA  »

Sleepy Eye Nurses Vote For Union Representation with Minnesota Nurses Association24 registered and licensed practical nurses at Sleepy Eye Medical Center have the power of 20,000 additional voices at their workplace with today’s decision to join the Minnesota Nurses Association.  Leaders are confident the move will lead to better and safer care for patients of the critical access hospital located in south central Minnesota.  “With a contract behind us, we can better advocate for our patients,” said Naomi Freyholtz, RN.
Nurses were stirred to organize in part because skilled colleagues have been exiting the facility due to frustration with management practices regarding scheduling and staffing. 

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photoMedia all over the state is signaling that MNA has the momentum to achieve a momentous breakthrough for patients in our state. When MNA and legislators Sen. Jeff Hayden and Rep. Joe Atkins announced the introduction of the Standards of Care Act, here’s what WCCO wrote: “the staffing proposal has a strong shot.”
Let’s keep the energy going, nurses. Let’s get Standards of Care in every facility, on every shift, for every patient. The following links should give you goose bumps, and we hope they inspire you to stay active in this campaign.
… Read more about: MNA Launches Standards of Care Campaign  »

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NOTES ON NURSING

Nurses on the Hill 2013

MNA’S Nurses Day on the Hill 2013 in pictures

Legislators learned a lot about patients at risk in acute care hospitals, and why MNA members support the Governor’s proposed budget and Health Care for All. Revisit MNA’s Blog later today for a video featuring nurse stories.

HEALTH CARE

Boost in Hospice Care By Way of ICU   Yes, more people are getting hospice care — but they are getting it for only a few days and often, only after highly aggressive care near the end of life, including multiple hospitalizations and stays in intensive care units.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, February 6, 2013: Nurses lobby for patient care; Good-bye Saturday mail  »

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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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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: Activism, Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Organizing, Politics, Unsafe Staffing

HEALTH CARE

Poor Performance Means Less Medicare Reimbursement for Most Minnesota Hospitals Medicare is revamping its payment system for hospitals as part of an effort to make them accountable on quality. The latest change will give bonuses and penalties to hospitals based on how well they performed on quality measures.

Health Care and Pursuit of a Profit Make a Poor Mix   A shareholder might even applaud the creativity with which profit-seeking institutions go about seeking profit. But the consequences of this pursuit might not be so great for other stakeholders in the system — patients, for instance.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, January 9, 2012: Medicare Penalizes MN hospitals; For profit=poor care  »

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In: Activism, Bargaining, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, National Nurses United, Nurses, Organizing, Politics

HEALTH CARE

Is Mayo Gaming the System?       The CEO of St. Peter’s River’s Edge Hospital and two area physicians have asked the Attorney General to investigate Mayo Clinic Health Systems in St. Peter and Mankato, alleging its doctors and staff are misinforming patients in an effort to funnel patients away from smaller community hospitals and toward Mayo-affiliated facilities.

Advocates for Mental Health Have Momentum After Conn. Massacre    Advocates say the most important objective is strengthening community-based mental health services. They are also focused on early diagnosis and treatment of ill children, and efforts to erase the stigma that surrounds mental health problems.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, December 20, 2012: Mayo games?; 11K new jobs  »

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NOTES ON NURSING

Nurses Call for Action on Nation’s Ravaged Mental Health Services    “This is a massive tragedy that is being played out on a smaller scale every day in emergency rooms, in mental health facilities, and on the streets across our country, where, with sometimes devastating consequences, mental health is underfunded to a shocking, and sometimes deadly degree,” said Deborah Burger, RN, co-president of National Nurses United, the largest U.S. organization of nurses.

RN Senator Named to MN Senate Leadership Team   On Monday, incoming Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, completed his leadership team by picking Sen. Chris Eaton, DFL-Brooklyn Park, and Sen.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, December 18, 2012: Nurses call for action on nation’s ravaged mental health system  »