Healthcare (Page 18)

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In: Activism, Bargaining, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Politics, Right to Work

LABOR

There is plenty of Union angst at Minnesota-based SuperValu, according to a recent Star Tribune story.

From The New York Times: Ohio Unions Battle Conservative “Super PACs” For Votes.

Also, The L.A. Times reports that teachers unions’ alliances with the Democratic Party are fraying.

HEALTH CARE

Parent engagement and daily care cut 20 percent of central-line infections according to a new study from Johns Hopkins.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, Sept. 5, 2012: “Union Angst” at SuperValu; Unions Do Battle with Conservative Super PACs  »

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In: Activism, Bargaining, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Politics, Right to Work

LABOR

The Moral Test of Government    Romney and Ryan and their corporate backers know this, and both candidates have challenged the very idea of a worker’s right to stick together and bargain for basic rights — including fair pay, health care and retirement benefits.

Mid-Level Jobs Squeezed in Economic Forecast   “The big story is there’s a lot of jobs at the top end and bottom end, but not a lot of jobs in the middle,” said Drew Digby, the region’s labor analyst for DEED. “There is a continuing squeeze for manufacturing and government jobs while classic middle class jobs, like teachers, will be harder and harder to get.”

Steelworkers Reach Tentative Agreement   U.S.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, Sept. 4, 2012: Labor Day reflections; Nurses on cleanup duty  »

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In: Activism, Bargaining, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Organizing

HEALTH CARE

Park Nicollet Health Services & HealthPartners to Merge   If approved by federal regulators, the agreement would go into effect January 1st. The new nonprofit would be a health care delivery and finance organization named HealthPartners with 15-hundred physicians.   What’s behind the merger, and what lies ahead?

Read MNA’s Statement 

California Hospitals Fined for Medical Errors   In  the latest round of civil penalties issued for violations or  deficiencies constituting an immediate jeopardy to the health and safety of a  hospital patient, California hospitals were  penalized for making patient care errors that led to five deaths and  necessitated repeat surgery in seven patients.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 31, 2012: Health Care Merger; Labor Day Activities; Organizing Victories  »

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Statement by Minnesota Nurses Association Executive Director Walter Frederickson, RN on Park Nicollet Health Services/HealthPartners Merger

As corporatization of health care continues its relentless march in Minnesota with the merger of Park Nicollet Health Services and HealthPartners, nurses raise a voice of concern to warn that one size does not fit all.  Each health situation is unique and can require a multitude of resources at any given moment.

Simultaneously, patients deserve a basic standard of care, and enough RN staffing to be able to anticipate crises as they emerge on each shift.   As traditionally bottom-line obsessed corporations grow, so too must our voice continue to grow to ensure patients are always placed above profits.
… Read more about: MNA Statement on Twin Cities Health Care Merger  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Organizing

HEALTH CARE

Patients Balk at Corporate Health Care   When the local, independent hospital becomes part of a larger health system, whether Sanford Health, Essentia Health, Mayo Clinic or another, the hospitals also can become more impersonal, bureaucratic and frustrating.

U.S. Lags in Preventable Deaths    More bad news for the U.S. health care system. According to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund, America is worst among three other industrialized nations when it comes to preventing avoidable deaths through timely, effective medical care. The problem, once again, is the lack of health insurance, the report suggests.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 30, 2012: State employee contracts rejected by legislative panel; Patients balk at corporate health care;  »

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In: Healthcare, Labor Unions, Nurses, Organizing, Politics

NOTES ON NURSING

More Injured Employees, Fewer Doctors at Minnesota Security Hospital    Employee injuries at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter, state’s largest facility for the mentally ill and dangerous, increased sharply this year as the number of permanent psychiatrists dropped from six to one and security practices have put counselors into closer contact with patients.

HEALTH CARE

Minnesota Lagged Nation in Growth of Public Health Coverage for Kids   The growth of public health insurance coverage helped blunt the impact of the recession for many kids across the country, but a new study suggests the dynamic didn’t hold true in Minnesota.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 29, 2012: Employee safety concerns at MN Security Hospital; MN kids health coverage down  »

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

HEALTH CARE

National Nurses United’s RoseAnn DeMoro Named to Top 100 Most Influential Health Care List for 11th Straight Year   DeMoro, who is number 36 on the list of 100, is one of only eight people to be named to the list for each of the 11 years it has been compiled. She is also one of only two women to be named every year on a list that is dominated by figures in government and corporate healthcare institutions.

NOTES ON NURSING

Unsafe Nurse-to-Patient Staffing Ratios are a Key Cause of 98,000 Preventable Deaths Each Year    Registered nurses form the backbone of this system, providing triage and treatment. 
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 28, 2012: DeMoro tops; RN staffing & preventable deaths; Collectiving cargaining on MI ballot  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Labor Unions, Nurses

I just wanted to jot a note about my recent experience at the Minnesota State Fair to let members and staff hear of the experience.

The Minnesota State Fair is indeed the “Great Minnesota Get together.”  Fairgoers from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado and even Louisiana stopped to visit with MNA Nurses, as they always do, and all communicated their thanks for what we do every day. They could not say enough about Nursing’s dedication to them and their families!

One mother wanted us to know it was the Nurses at Minneapolis Children’s Hospital who stood at her daughter’s bedside 24/7 when she received medical care for her Leukemia.
… Read more about: MNA at the Minnesota State Fair – Real Stories. Real Conversations. Real Impact.  »

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

NOTES ON NURSING

Worth Watching: MNA RNs help recovering patient see his son’s West Coast wedding.

HEALTH CARE

Worth Reading: The Center For Public Integrity has a series out on how politicians are manipulating the facts about medicare during election season.

Moody’s Investors Service has declared that not-for-profit hospitals are financially stable for now, but the fiscal realities of the Affordable Care Act could darken that picture in the future.

LABOR

Right-to-work: “They want to run us to death.”
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 27, 2012 – MNA RNs Help Recovering Patient See Son’s West Coast Wedding  »

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

HEALTH CARE

Fairview Health Services wants to spend $53 million to … wait for it … make capital improvements.

From The New York Times: A Night the ER Staff in Aurora, Colorado will never forget.

LABOR

Hundreds of nurses in the Boston area will vote next week whether or not to authorize a strike.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, August 24, 2012 – Fairview Wants to Spend $53m … on Buildings; Boston RNs Ponder Strike Vote; A Night ER Staff Will Never Forget  »