Activism (Page 35)

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Politics

Have you or a family member ever had the unfortunate experience of suffering from a pressure ulcer? In addition to being extremely unpleasant and painful, pressure ulcers can become so deep that they result in damage to your muscles, bones, tendons and joints.

And pressure ulcers – also commonly known as bedsores – are almost always preventable when proper staffing levels are adhered to.

Yet last week’s release of Minnesota’s Eighth Annual Adverse Events Report noted that incidents involving pressure ulcers spiked more than 19 percent statewide in 2011. What state hospital executives didn’t mention in spinning away that alarming statistic was that numerous national studies have shown a direct correlation between inadequate nurse staffing levels and an increase in conditions including pressure ulcers, pneumonia, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, shock/cardiac arrest, urinary tract infections and more.
… Read more about: MNA President Linda Hamilton’s Response to Minnesota Adverse Events Report’s Release  »

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MNA Nurses fill out hundreds of Concern For Safe Staffing forms online each month. The story below is just one example of how unsafe staffing conditions inside Minnesota hospitals continue to have negative – and sometimes even deadly – consequences for patients and nurses. (Note: Due to HIPAA privacy laws for patients and concerns for potential workplace retaliation by employers against RNs, we do not identify the specific nurse and/or patient(s) involved in each story in this space.)

Today’s Story: Extremely busy, high acuity with no available  resources, nurses came from other units to help as able, but were not able to perform tasks necessary such as del, OR, scrub.
… Read more about: Unsafe Staffing Story: A “rushed and chaotic” feeling  »

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In light of today’s announcement of a new bill in the Minnesota Legislature that would make neglecting a vulnerable adult a more serious crime, the Minnesota Nurses Association issued the following statement:

“As nurses, nothing is more important to us than ensuring our patients – especially the most vulnerable – are protected and given the best care and treatment possible.  We applaud the idea of protecting vulnerable adults, which is why nurses have been at the forefront of the movement to highlight the need for adequate staffing inside our hospitals, nursing homes, and other care facilities.

While every caregiver – including nurses – is and should be held accountable for the quality of his or her own care, it is important we don’t lose sight of the bigger issue here: The chronic and systemic understaffing of our hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities where care is delivered. 
… Read more about: MNA Statement on vulnerable adult crime bill introduced in MN Legislature  »

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Media Contact: Charles Idelson, 510-273-2246 or Carl Ginsburg, 917-405-1060. For Profs. Pollin or Heintz, contact Debbie Zeidenberg, at PERI, dzeiden@peri.umass.edu or 413.577.3147

From National Nurses United:

A robust tax on Wall Street transactions would raise far more revenue – as much as 17 times as much – than more limited proposals, even accounting for the worst case scenarios of reduced trading as a result of a tax.  That’s the findings of an important new research brief from prominent University of Massachusetts Amherst economists Robert Pollin and James Heintz.

This study is the most recent serious effort to quantify current, actual costs and evaluate the impact of the trading costs on trading volume.
… Read more about: Press Release: New Study Shows Dramatic Revenue Potential from a Wall Street Tax  »

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Hear from MNA RNs who are learning/sharing how ALL of us can work together to improve health care in this country. So proud of the everyday MNA Members leading the way on this effort! Another great event coming up Jan. 17th here at MNA – You can sign up for the Jan 17 follow up event via the MNA Facebook Page. Everyone is welcome, even if you didn’t attend Part I.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/_ddtByWod-A]
… Read more about: MNA RNs – Building a Better Health Care System  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Labor Unions, Politics

Imagine how drastically your nursing practice would change for the worse if your patients’ caregivers or family members were allowed to give them medications in the hospital? That is just one of many recent changes proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid as conditions of participation.