Hospitals (Page 18)

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In: Bargaining, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Unsafe Staffing

More than 150 nurses will vote Tuesday, December 11, on a new Tentative Agreement between the Minnesota Nurses Association and Douglas County Hospital.

 

Both sides had been at loggerheads over staffing issues and the rising cost of insurance benefits, but the stalemate broke when more than 30 nurses stood up a hospital board meeting, which equates to 1 for every 6 nurses affected attending.

 

Nurses delivered Thanksgiving-themed greeting cards signed by a majority of MNA members and with a message of thanks if management would negotiate on staffing and retention issues.  The strategy and the strong showing seemed to turn the tide toward nurses, as hospital management asked for a meeting even though a mediation session had been planned as the next step for negotations. 
… Read more about: New TA to be voted on by Alex Nurses  »

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LABOR NEWS

Nurses Join Fight Against Michigan Right To Work Legislation   More than a dozen Michigan nurses stood on the steps of the Michigan Capitol this morning, their mouths covered in red duct tape in protest of right to work legislation.

Dayton:  Minnesota Is Getting Back to Work    Of the 2,700 Minnesota soldiers returning from Kuwait last spring, only 78 are still unemployed – a 90% improvement in only four months.

NOTES ON NURSING

Study:  Nurse Phone Calls Reduce Risk of Readmission    In addition, healthcare costs decreased by about $1,225 for each patient enrolled in the program compared with similar patients who were not enrolled, reported researchers with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, December 10, 2012: Nurses Protest RTW in MI  »

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NOTES ON NURSING

MNA Nurses Reach Tentative Agreement with Twin Cities Hospitals     The Minnesota Nurses Association and Twin Cities Hospitals reached agreement last night on new three-year-contracts, which are being unanimously recommended by the MNA Negotiating Committee for ratification by the membership.  Members, vote dates are Dec. 18, 19, 20.  Learn more about the agreement and the vote in the member portal.

LABOR UPDATES

Lame Duck Michigan Legislators Slam Through Right To Work Bills    In the state where workers sat down in Flint General Motors plants seventy-five years ago and emboldened the industrial labor movement that would give birth to the American middle class, Republican legislators on Thursday voted to gut basic labor rights. 
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, December 7, 2012: TC Nurse Contract Tentative Agreement; Sham Democracy in Michigan  »

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In: Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Nursing, Politics

NOTES ON NURSING

Nurses Top Gallup Ethics and Honesty Poll for 12th Time in 13 Years.     Nurses’ high rating this year is not unexpected; they have scored at the top of all professions every year since they were first included in the list in 1999 — apart from 2001, when Gallup asked about “firefighters” on a one-time basis after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Moms, Nurses Plead to Keep Birthing Center    “Ironically, we were so busy with three births so far today, many of the nurses from the birthing center who were going to speak here today are unable to make it,” Sussman said as he stood in his scrubs, ready to return to the hospital.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, December 5, 2012: RNs tops in ethics again; MN faces $1.1B deficit  »

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

LABOR NEWS

Can you Hear Us Now?  Sugar Workers Reject Contract 4th Straight Time    One of the longest work stoppages in recent Minnesota history will continue as locked-out union workers at American Crystal Sugar Saturday rejected essentially the same contract for the fourth time, with 55 percent voting against.

NY Times Announces Buyouts, Hints at Layoffs    The New York Times said on Monday that it will offer buyouts to some of its newsroom staff, and may lay journalists off if not enough people accept the severance package.

HEALTH CARE

America’s Stunningly Overpriced Health Care System in 2 Charts    It’s no secret that the U.S.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, December 3, 2012: FOUR! Sugar workers reject contract- again; 60 Minutes exposes HMA  »

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

NOTES ON NURSING

Simple Measures Reduce Infections Caught in Hospitals   Solutions included having patients shower with special germ-fighting soap before surgery, and having surgery teams change gowns, gloves and instruments during operations to prevent spreading germs picked up during the procedures.

MNA Day, December 6 – As our bargaining team negotiates, let’s show employers how serious nurses are about our profession, our patients and our communities.

Worchester Nurses Forced to Choose Between Flu Shot and Mask   A new hospital flu shot policy is causing controversy among the nursing
staff at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, November 30, 2012: MNA Day; Flu shot or mask  »

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Education, Solidarity, Networking, Community

As MNA’s bargaining team negotiates with Twin Cities contract hospital employers, let’s show how serious nurses are about our profession, our patients and our communities.  Enjoy a day together with colleagues to send a message of solidarity, while honing our advocacy skills.

Free Continuing Education (Drop in for all or any of these classes)
Nursing Contact Hours
These programs for 1.2 contact hours each have been designed to meet the Minnesota Board of Nursing continuing education requirements. However, the nurse is responsible for determining whether this activity meets the requirements for acceptable continuing education.
… Read more about: Dec. 6 is MNA Day – features education and a toy/food shelf drive  »

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In: Activism, Health Care Reform, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Legislative Policy, National Nurses United, Nurses, Nursing, Organizing, Politics, Unsafe Staffing

NOTES ON NURSING


MNA Legislative Meet & Greet in Alexandria an Eye-Opener for Elected Officials

30 nurses from Bemidji, Alexandria, and Fergus Falls gathered on Nov. 20 for a “Meet and Greet” with local legislators and a continuing education session on nurse advocacy.
MNA Nursing Practice Specialist Carol Deimert and MNA President Linda Hamilton presented on the Main Street Contract and the history of advocacy in nursing, “Nurses have a long history of being leaders in advocating for women’s rights, civil rights, and improvements to our healthcare system,” explained Deimert.
After the presentation, Rep. Paul Anderson (GOP- Starbuck) and Rep.-Elect (Ben Lein DFL-Moorhead) came to meet nurses and discuss some of the nursing issues the legislature may be addressing this session.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, November 28, 2012: MNA RNs in west central MN step up push for safe staffing; NY nurses leave ANA  »

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In: Activism, Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Hospitals, Nurses, Nursing, Robin Hood Tax

HEALTH CARE

Fix for the Modern Hospital:  A Design for Healing   Rarely is nurse Cindy Steckel possessed by fantasies of unspeakable revenge. Toilet design, however, does provoke her fury.  Whoever is responsible for the slim-doored, cramped configuration of patient bathrooms in most American hospitals draws her scorn. “I don’t know if there wasn’t such a thing as a walker back then,” she says. “But if I could get my hands on the guy who designed these…!”

Study:  Medicaid Expansion Would Extend Coverage to 21M Americans at Modest Cost to States    Since the federal government will pick up most of the tab for the Medicaid expansion, the states that choose to participate will be able to extend insurance to millions of poor and vulnerable Americans without using much of their own funds.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, November 27, 2012: A pension deficit disorder; Design for healing  »

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

HEALTH CARE

Hospitals Spend Big Advertising Bucks to Attract New Patients   But some health care experts question whether hospitals should spend so much money on promotion and advertising, especially the nonprofit health systems that pour tax-exempt funds into these campaigns.

Accretive Pays Harassed Hospital Patients   Minnesota hospital patients who endured abusive billing tactics linked to Accretive Health Inc. have begun receiving restitution payments averaging $4,000 apiece, Attorney General Lori Swanson said Tuesday.

Political Cartoon:  Pilgrim’s Progress

LABOR UPDATES

Support Wal-Mart Workers on Black Friday

Worker Group Says Wal-Mart Management Scripted to Threaten Workers

EEOC Settlements Indicate Employers Pay Big For Sexual Harassment   Recent EEOC settlements demonstrate that when faced with egregious sexual harassment allegations, many employers would rather settle than face bad press, a prolonged trial and uncertain outcomes.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, November 21, 2012: Accretive pays; Thanks nurses  »