Standing up for safe patient care just got easier (Page 61)

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It’s now much easier for Minnesota nurses to stand up for safe patient care.

Now when nurses submit Concern for Safe Staffing forms that document unsafe conditions in their facilities, they can also contact their legislators to let them know that unsafe staffing situations are occurring in their districts.

State senators and representatives have asked for more documentation to help them establish a safe patient standard in Minnesota hospitals.

In the past, CFSS forms have had to be culled, collected, and printed out to submit to legislative committees or for lawmaker requests.  MNA recently modified the form to make it easier for nurses to tell their legislators real-time stories about unsafe staffing in their hospitals.

The revised form adds one simple step. After nurses complete a Concern for Safe Staffing form, they will receive a confirmation message with a link to a short pre-written email to their legislators to which they can add their own comments. The MNA website will automatically look up the nurses’ legislators and deliver the messages to them.

Some legislators have questioned whether staffing is a problem in Minnesota hospitals. When nurses show the forms to state legislators as examples of the unsafe conditions in hospitals in their districts, lawmakers are always surprised and concerned to learn hospitals put patients at risk on a regular basis.

The new option to contact legislators will increase the impact of CFSS forms by alerting lawmakers to the frequency and severity of these unsafe situations, and will further our campaign to pass a Safe Patient Standard law.

MNA members are encouraged to fill out CFSS forms any time they see unsafe staffing, and if you live in Minnesota, send the follow-up message to your legislators.

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Patient Safety, Patient Safety Standards

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It’s now much easier for Minnesota nurses to stand up for safe patient care.

Now when nurses submit Concern for Safe Staffing forms that document unsafe conditions in their facilities, they can also contact their legislators to let them know that unsafe staffing situations are occurring in their districts.

State senators and representatives have asked for more documentation to help them establish a safe patient standard in Minnesota hospitals.

In the past, CFSS forms have had to be culled, collected, and printed out to submit to legislative committees or for lawmaker requests. 
… Read more about: Standing up for safe patient care just got easier  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics

Minnesota’s primary election is Tuesday, August 12. You have a chance to return one of the most accomplished state auditors in the country to her post.

MNA has endorsed Rebecca Otto for State Auditor. Otto has carefully served as a watchdog for local governments, including her role in reviewing almost 700 public pension plans, and promoting legal compliance and accountability.

Rebecca Otto (DFL) is one of the most highly-respected state auditors in the United States. In 2014 she was named one of the Most Influential Professionals in Government Auditing by the American Center for Government Auditing (ACGA). She has also received the National Auditors Association Excellence in Accountability Award for Best Practices Review: Reducing Energy Costs in Local Government.
… Read more about: Primary Election August 12-MNA Supports Rebecca Otto for Auditor  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association

Negotiations between nurses and Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital in Grand Rapids were marked by ‘mutual respect’ this spring, leading to a new contract that benefits nurses and patients.

“We had very respectful bargaining,” said Grand Itasca Bargaining Unit Chair Pam Nordstrom. “Negotiations moved more smoothly and we won some major improvements for members.”

“We always tried to keep patients at the forefront during negotiations,” said bargaining committee member Carol Forneris. “We wanted to ensure quality staff, because that goes hand in hand with good patient care. ”

Members ratified the new contract on June 16. It includes:

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In: Bargaining, Minnesota Nurses Association

Sandstone Sign

Essentia Health-Sandstone nurses have a new contract – their first.

Members approved a new four-year contract earlier this month, following two years of organizing and negotiating.

Sandstone nurses organized right after Essentia bought the hospital in 2012.

“We are very excited to have a contract with language that ensures safe staffing, addresses on-call shifts, and gives nurses a stronger voice in our workplace,” said bargaining unit MNA Co-Chair Erin Olson, RN. “The feedback from fellow nurses has been very positive.”

The four-year contract includes:

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In: Activism, Minnesota Nurses Association, National Nurses United

National Nurses United

 

Media Advisory, Photo Opportunity                                   July 18, 2014
Contact: Liz Jacobs, RN, 510-435-7674, Bill Gallagher, 818-355-8691, or Sarah Cecile, 510-541-9570

Big March and Rally Today in Detroit to Protest Water Shutoffs by City:  ‘Turn On the Water, Tax Wall Street’

Responding to the controversial decision of Detroit and Michigan officials to shut off water for tens of thousands of city residents, a broad coalition of national, international, and Detroit area organizations will hold a major protest march and rally today in Detroit.

Marchers will voice support for the many in Detroit who have been calling for a declaration of a health care emergency in the city and call for an immediate moratorium on the water shutoffs and restoration of water service to those who have had their water cut off.
… Read more about: Nurses: Water Shut-off Measure in Detroit Endangers Public Health  »

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In: Bargaining, Minnesota Nurses Association

Nurses at one of Minnesota’s largest hospitals have a new contract that makes significant improvements in compensation and working conditions conditions that will help recruit and retain nurses at the busy urban Level 1 Trauma facility.

Hennepin County Medical Center nurses overwhelmingly voted in favor of a new three-year contract in June.

“It was time for us to enrich our contract and provide some of the benefits enjoyed by the other metro hospitals,” said HCMC Co-Chair Michele Will, RN. “I think we made steps in that direction.  We were able to secure education money for all nurses and increase the number of weekends off for nurses with ten years of seniority who work every other weekend.
… Read more about: HCMC contract builds on success  »

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In: Bargaining, Minnesota Nurses Association

Nurses at Fairview Lakes Medical Center in Wyoming, MN, are fighting for contract advancements to protect patients, recruit and retain exceptional nurses, and to stop management efforts to take back hard-fought compensation and benefits.

Negotiations officially began in June, with management proposing to deny health insurance coverage and other benefits to almost a dozen nurses who work half time,  increase mandatory low-need days by 50 percent, and continue inequitable pay differentials between clinic and hospital nurses.

“These proposals are offensive and unrealistic,” said Fairview Lakes MNA Co-Chair Sandie Anderson, RN. “Management is treating nurses as second-class citizens.”

Nurses are asking management to make a commitment to patients to ensure there will be adequate staff to care for them and to personally explain to patients if staffing falls below planned-for levels.
… Read more about: Fairview Lakes fights 'offensive' proposals  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Patient Safety Standards

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A recent arbitrator’s ruling makes the case for minimum safe patient standards in every Minnesota hospital.

Nurses at Sleepy Eye Medical Center in western Minnesota made a seemingly simple request during negotiations for their first contract: agree to a staffing plan that clearly sets out base staffing standards.

The hospital refused, so nurses took the case to arbitration – and won.

“We asked that the existing grid be put into writing in order to improve staffing,” said Sleepy Eye MNA Chair Katie Grams. “It worked well by laying out base staffing standards of four patients to one nurse, detailing how those standards worked by shift, census, patient acuity and staff skill level.”

The arbitrator not only approved putting the staffing plan into the contract, he added language that specifies staffing for OB, ER and charge nurses.
… Read more about: Ruling supports safe patient standards  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Organizing

About one-tenth of the population of a northern Minnesota town now belongs to MNA.

Nearly 100 employees at LakeWood Health Center in Baudette  (population 1,080) voted last week in favor of contract representation by the MNA.

The successful vote was the result of a determined effort by workers who wanted to advocate more strongly for patients and employees. The new bargaining unit will represent most non-management employees.

“We kept having more duties and more work to do as they outsourced and cut,” said RN Bonnie Harness. “We were really upset. LakeWood needed to work with us but they didn’t want to.”

A group of LakeWood employees contacted MNA in January and the campaign to organize began.
… Read more about: MNA Welcomes New Members in Baudette  »