Minnesota Nurses Association (Page 13)

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By Anna Rathbun, RN

We all made it safe and sound to Roxas city.  The airport missing part of its roof. We went to a more rural setting from there.  So far, we have seen over 1,200 patients.  We are paired with a team from Singapore with two doctors and four nurses.  Nurses with the National Nurses United RNRN program have been doing triage and procedures like wound debridgement and incision and drainage.   We have one nurse practitioner and I am one of five RNs.  People here have lots of respiratory problems because so many people here burn their trash every night.   There are constant fires, and most houses are built only a few meters from the roads. 
… Read more about: Duluth RN reports from the Philippines  »

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   Tough contract negotiations were no match for the 64 gutsy nurses at First Light Health Services in Mora. A 25-bed critical access facility, the hospital is owned and operated by Kanabec County, and nurses routinely care for their neighbors, friends and families. The fight to keep good nurses at the bedside was very personal for the bargaining team.
   A proposal by hospital administration to reduce health insurance benefits flew in the face of reason for the whole bargaining team, especially in regard to patient satisfaction. “If nurses aren’t happy, patients won’t be happy,” said Bargaining Unit Chair Margie Odendahl, RN.
As negotiations went on, nurses grew more determined.
… Read more about: First Light Nurses Are a Beacon of Success  »

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Minnesota Nurse Heads to the Philippines to Aid Disaster Victims

As usual, Duluth registered nurse Anna Rathbun is spending her holidays caring for others, but this year she will be half a world away from her hometown, as she tends to victims of a hurricane-ravaged country. She is joining the third wave of nurses to be sent to the Philippines by the RN Response Network (RNRN), coordinated by National Nurses United. Rathbun is serving in Roxas City, on the Panay Island to provide medical support for those affected by the Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.
… Read more about: Press Release-Minnesota nurses heads to the Philippines to aid disaster victims  »

“They’ve lost everything,” Rathbun said, “and the place where I hope to go is one of the impoverished areas of the Philippines. 

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Nurses were prepared to walk out on job

Nurses working at Essentia Health – Virginia Medical Center agreed to a new three year contract on Tuesday after difficult negotiations resulted in nurses working for more than three months without a contract. Nurses voted overwhelmingly to pre-authorize a strike at the facility prior to the agreement to send the message that they expect Essentia to support nurses and patients.

“We are grateful to nurses for sticking together during a very difficult process,” said Glenn Anderson, RN and Co-Chair of the bargaining unit, “and their support showed Essentia that we expect the employer to honor their promise of creating a a working environment that would attract and retain nurses and protect the quality care patients deserve.” In 2011, Essentia management asked for nurses’ support when it began the affiliation process of Virginia Regional Medical Center, and nurses obliged under the promise that a new ownership structure would improve patient care.
… Read more about: Nurses Agree on New Contract with Virginia Hospital  »

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Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

Budget surplus shows Minnesota in the right hands

Minnesota nurses say a strong state can take better care of its citizens

 
Rick Fuentes
(office) 651-414-2863
(cell) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

 
… Read more about: Press Release: Budget surplus shows Minnesota in the right hands  »

(St Paul) – The latest revenue forecast shows Governor Mark Dayton and the legislature have built a strong foundation for Minnesota moving forward.  Minnesota’s Management and Budget office shows $1 billion surplus, which will be used to repay Minnesota’s schools after years of borrowing.”It’s great news and proof we put the state in the right hands,” said Linda Hamilton, RN, BSN, President of the Minnesota Nurses Association. 

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After another session in an eight-month long contract negotiation process ended without an agreement, nurses bargaining with the Allina system are calling for the health care corporation to put the community first. “We are deeply concerned that Allina wants to treat workers in Hastings differently than they do in other parts of the state, and that tactic will affect the care we are able to deliver to our neighbors and friends,” said MNA negotiator Jane Traynor, RN.

MNA nurses from all over the Allina corporate system arrived in Hastings early Tuesday morning to help their new colleagues deliver a message of solidarity on behalf of their patients to hospital administrators at Regina Medical Center.
… Read more about: Hastings Nurses Tell Allina: “Care for Our Community”  »

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Minnesota State Capitol St Paul MinnesotaOn Wed., Nov. 13, Minnesota legislators convened a joint committee on Health and Human Services to review process of the Minnesota Board of Nursing regarding licensure and discipline of nursing professionals.  MNA submitted written testimony reflecting the organization’s position on the issue.

Senator Kathy Sheran
Representative Tina Liebling
75 Rev Martin Luther King Blvd
St. Paul, MN  55115

Written statement to the Joint Committee on Health and Human Services

November 12, 2013

The Minnesota Nurses Association respects the purpose of this Joint Committee hearing to review licensing and disciplinary processes of Minnesota’s Board of Nursing.
… Read more about: MNA Statement on State Licensure Process Review  »

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Aitkin-nursesAn energized group of nurses confronted their boss on Tuesday at Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin, spurred by their determination to achieve a fair union contract. “This agreement helps us protect our patients,” said Bargaining Unit Co-Chair Lynda Smith, RN. “My colleagues will use every tool available to us to advocate for our patients. With a legal contract behind us, we stand up for each other and ourselves to demand what is right for the safety of our patients.”

The 48 registered nurses represented by MNA have been negotiating their contract since mid-August and another bargaining session scheduled for Nov.
… Read more about: Aitkin Nurses Demand a Fair Contract  »

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Nurses at Regina Medical Center in Hastings are a determined bunch, and they want parity. For now, they’ll take answers.  About 30 of them attended the latest round of bargaining talks to meet with management and make a statement that they support their negotiating team.

One hitch:  management heard that nurses wanted to attend, and their bargaining team stayed in their caucus room rather than come out and meet them.  The employer, forgot, however, that their caucus room has a window to the sidewalk.  So, nurses tracked down their meeting room and made their statement through the window to force the employer’s negotiators to turn around and see them.
… Read more about: Hastings nurses not waiting for answers  »

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Nurses in Thief River Falls spent Halloween afternoon telling the boss to stop playing tricks with people’s lives.  Sanford Health recently announced it would implement monstrous cuts in its insurance package, forcing nurses to pay double what they’re currently expending  for premiums and co-pays.

The changes are simply devastating to working families.  “We’re on the street and hope this action will make Sanford management decide to listen to us, our families and every employee of this hospital,” said Bargaining Unit Co-Chair Tiffany Eidelbes.

Nurses were joined on an informational picket line by MNA nurses from Bagley, Bemidji and the  Twin Cities, along with other staff members from the hospital. 
… Read more about: Nurses show Thief River Falls Sanford benefits are scary  »