Hospitals (Page 28)

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

NURSING

Nursing the Wounded   There’s a new effort being made to train more of the nation’s nurses to help care for this growing population of veterans.  First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Jill Biden recently launched an initiative to create specialized training in veterans health care so nurses nationwide can better care for this coming wave of new vets.

HEALTH CARE

Health Care to Create 5.6 Million New Jobs by 2020   The healthcare industry will spawn 5.6 million new jobs by 2020 – most of them high-paying – but most unemployed Americans won’t have the expensive schooling necessary to land them.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, June 25, 2012 – Nursing the wounded; HC to add 5.6M new jobs by 2020  »

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

Editor’s Note:  Our thoughts are with colleagues and community in Duluth and elsewhere in the state, in the aftermath of flood devastation.

HEALTH CARE

26,000 Uninsured Die Each Year   The study, released on Wednesday by the consumer advocacy group Families USA, estimates that a record high of 26,100 people aged 25 to 64 died for lack of health coverage in 2010, up from 20,350 in 2005 and 18,000 in 2000.  That makes for a rate of about 72 deaths per day, or three per hour.

$129 Marked for Community Health Centers    The 2010 federal healthcare overhaul established the Community Health Center  Fund to provide $11 billion over five years to fund health center operations,  expansions and construction.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, June 21, 2012: 26k uninsured die each year; hospitals lag in workforce diversity  »

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In: Activism, Bargaining, Healthcare, Hospitals, Nurses, Nursing, Politics

Stories we’re scanning:

HEALTH CARE

Health Cost Relief Only Temporary   If health care spending isn’t brought in line with overall economic growth, Americans will eventually face agonizing choices between paying medical bills and funding other priorities such as education and infrastructure.

NURSING

Kansas City Nurses Reaffirm Commitment to  NNU  A spokeswoman for the National Nurses Organizing Committee of National Nurses United said the vote this week was 260 to 92 in favor of the union.

LABOR

America Without A Union Movement?  When labor was at its numerical apogee in 1955, the wealthiest 10 percent claimed just 33 percent of the nation’s income.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, June 14, 2012: No unions = huge wage gap; Mich. nurses deliver big message to state  »

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

NURSES

Nurses, Patients Voice Concerns Over Avoidable Hospital Staffing Crisis    The whole system seems to be “missing something” when it reaps massive profits but can’t keep hospitals properly staffed. But the crisis can’t be explained simply by an overall “shortage” of nurses. The real cause of the staffing squeeze might be the tight fists of hospital CEOs, who don’t want to invest in maintaining an adequate, qualified workforce.

HEALTH CARE

Tax-Exempt Hospitals Eyed Amid State Budget Gaps  Following through on a promise, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced more than two months ago that the state would resume denying tax exemptions to hospitals that operate more like businesses than charities.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan – May 31, 2012: RNs Say Hospital Staffing Crisis Avoidable with Ratios; Listen to Frontline Staff  »

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

BREAKING:  Fairview CEO Out in Wake of Debt Collection Furor

HEALTH CARE

Art, Gardens & Basketball Courts -Yes.  Adequate Staff?  No Mention.   The striking new hospital buildings built by Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, and Lurie Children’s Hospital, in Chicago spare no funds to promise a luxurious patient experience.  Editor’s note:  The article curiouisly fails to discuss how much investment is put into providing enough professional staff.

How Rivals Built an ACO  The ultimate goal is to reduce healthcare costs and improve care by developing  and refining services that can be scaled and applied to the 300,000  HealthPartners and Allina customers who live in the alliance service area.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, May 24, 2012: Art, gardens & BB Courts, yes / Staffing? No mention  »

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

LABOR

Target Violated Labor Laws; NLRB Calls for New Union Election     An administrative law judge from the National Labor Relations Board has overturned the union election last year at a Target store on New York’s Long Island and ordered a new election citing unfair labor practices.

General Mills Cuts 850 Jobs    General Mills expects the plan to result in total pretax charges of about $109 million, which will cover costs related to workers whose jobs are terminated and equipment.

Barbara Ehrenreich:  A War on Poverty, Indeed    ;Individually, the poor are not all that tempting to thieves.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan – May 22, 2012: NLRB to Target “You Broke the Law;” Patients Not Good at Judging Care  »

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

Nurses

Media all over the country are touting the brave and peaceful action of NNU/MNA in Chicago on Friday as 2,500 nurses rallied in Daley Plaza to demand a Robin Hood tax on Wall Street to pay for health care and education on Main Street.

Health Care

What It’s Like to Be Sick in America  3 of 4 people who were sick said cost is a very serious problem, and half said quality is a very serious problem.  Nearly half of those with recent serious illness say they felt burdened by what they had to pay out of their own pocket for care.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan – May 21, 2012: “Nurses out to save the country;” what it’s like to be sick in America  »

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

What is this? The MNA Daily NewsScan is a round up the day’s biggest nursing, health care and organized labor stories.  As news unfolds in real-time, we update the NewsScan with new links and info, so check back often!

Stories we’re scanning:

Labor

Crow Wing County RNs Expect Decision Today on Civil Lawsuit Regarding Unfair Labor Practices   The unions reported the lawsuit is not whether the county’s proposal to tie pay to performance is a good idea.  “The county’s idea, like all bargaining proposals, should be negotiated,” the unions stated. “The unions’ lawsuit simply asks the court to find that the county must first negotiate the elimination of the current pay structure and not act on its own.”

Twin Cities Hospital Workers Voting Whether to Strike   The workers hold a variety of jobs, including nursing assistants, ER techs and maintenance and food service personnel.
… Read more about: MNA Daily NewsScan, May 15, 2012 – Crow Wing RNs Await Results of Civil Law Suit; Nursing Careers and an Aging Population  »

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

Session Ends

The House adjourned in the wee hours of Thursday morning, and the Senate followed suit on Thursday afternoon. This session, we saw more involvement from MNA nurses on legislative issues than at any other time in recent MNA history. Everyone who reached out to their elected officials, educated their colleagues about the issues, or came to the Capitol should feel proud. Nurses are a respected and influential force at the Capitol because of all of your work.

 

MNA Priorities