MNA NewsScan, April 22, 2013: Boston RNs talk; The jobless trap (Page 81)

NOTES ON NURSING

Boston Nurses Talk of Caring for Wounded and Families of Marathon Bombing    The screams and cries of bloody marathon bombing victims still haunt the nurses who treated them one week ago. They did their jobs as they were trained to do, putting their own fears in a box during their 12-hour shifts so they could better comfort their patients.

HEALTH CARE

Seniors Get Hung Up in Health Care Scams   Many of the fraudsters seem to be preying on the public’s confusion over the massive changes taking place in the nation’s health care system.

LABOR UPDATES

Texas Fertilizer Plant Was Storing Highly Explosive Material   The Occupational Safety and Health Administration had not inspected the plant since 1985, when it was cited for five serious violations and fined $30. Yes, 30 whole dollars. The company has also been fined in recent years, including by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for not having filed a risk-management plan and for safety violations, respectively.

Krugman:  The Jobless Trap    But while debt fears were and are misguided, there’s a real danger we’ve ignored: the corrosive effect, social and economic, of persistent high unemployment. And even as the case for debt hysteria is collapsing, our worst fears about the damage from long-term unemployment are being confirmed.

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In: Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Labor Unions, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing

NOTES ON NURSING

Boston Nurses Talk of Caring for Wounded and Families of Marathon Bombing    The screams and cries of bloody marathon bombing victims still haunt the nurses who treated them one week ago. They did their jobs as they were trained to do, putting their own fears in a box during their 12-hour shifts so they could better comfort their patients.

HEALTH CARE

Seniors Get Hung Up in Health Care Scams   Many of the fraudsters seem to be preying on the public’s confusion over the massive changes taking place in the nation’s health care system.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, April 22, 2013: Boston RNs talk; The jobless trap  »

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In: Activism, Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association, National Nurses United, Nurses, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

Standards of Care Campaign Update
House File 588 (HF588) passed the full Minnesota House of Representatives 73-58 on Wednesday. There was bipartisan support for our bill to require the Department of Health to study the correlation between staffing and patient outcomes and hospitals to report their staffing quarterly to the public. Take a moment to thank our author and champion Representative Joe Atkins. He has gone to the mat for nurses over and over again because he believes us when we say patients are vulnerable in Minnesota’s hospitals today. His email is rep.joe.atkins@house.mn.   The bill still has to clear one more committee in the Senate.
… Read more about: MNA Legislative Update, April 19, 2013  »

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In: Healthcare, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses

 program  Over 70 registrants braved a host of weather-related forces on Thursday to attend the spring education program sponsored by MNA’s Ethics Committee.  Substance Use Disorder:  Implications for Nurses proved to be a compelling subject.   “I supervised nurses with substance abuse issues and watched them disappear and lose their livelihood,” said attendee Barbara Davis. Participants had the opportunity to delve deeply into the issue from many perspectives; all with an underlying ethical theme.

audience
Nurses are exposed to the challenges of Substance Use Disorder more frequently than the general population.  Whether it impacts a colleague, a patient, or even a personal situation, RNs benefit from gaining a wider knowledge base of the problem. 
… Read more about: MNA’s Ethics Committee Hosts Successful Education Day on Substance Use Disorder  »

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In: Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics, Unsafe Staffing

The Standards of Care Act (HF588) passed the full Minnesota House of Representatives 73-58 earlier this afternoon. There was bipartisan support for our bill to require the Department of Health to study the correlation between staffing and patient outcomes and hospitals to report their staffing quarterly to the public. Can you take a moment to thank our author and champion Representative Joe Atkins? He has gone to the mat for nurses over and over again because he believes us when we say there is a patient safety crisis in Minnesota. His email is rep.joe.atkins@house.mn.

The bill still has to clear one more committee in the Senate.
… Read more about: Standards of Care Act Passes MN House  »

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In: Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Hospitals, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Robin Hood Tax, Unsafe Staffing

NOTES ON NURSING

Nurse Crisis in New York   Despite an increase in candidates, the State Nursing Association said hospitals aren’t hiring. In the end, it is hurting patients. State Assemblyman Richard Gottfried is the sponsor of the State Staffing Bill.

What Nurse Jackie Means for America   The reality of health care lurks outside our studio in Queens, New York, and informs some of what the writers create. The relentless money crunches. Corporate overlords coldly pulling strings on delicate medical and staffing decisions. Overcrowded waiting rooms and illogical triage. Communication vacuums between doctor and patient. The constant vulnerability of patients to not only disease, but to the system.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, April 17, 2013: Nurse crisis in NY; Hospitals profit from errors  »

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In: Legislative Policy, National Nurses United, Robin Hood Tax

Media Advisory:
Congressman Keith Ellison

MEDIA ADVISORY: Rep. Keith Ellison to Unveil Inclusive Prosperity Act Outside Capitol

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2013
Press Contacts
Jeremy Slevin– (202) 225-4755

WASHINGTON –Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Chief Deputy Whip, will announce the reintroduction of his Inclusive Prosperity Act tomorrow, which adds a tax of a fraction of a percent on transactions done by Wall Street firms and stock traders. In 2011, 40 countries had a similar tax, as did the U.S. until 1966. This tax would reduce harmful financial market speculation, discourage high-volume, high-speed trading, and slow down the proliferation of ever more complex derivatives.
… Read more about: MEDIA ADVISORY: Rep. Keith Ellison, NNU’s Jean Ross to Unveil Inclusive Prosperity Act  »

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In: Healthcare, Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association, Politics

By Linda Hamilton, RN, BSN

Attorney General Lori Swanson deserves the gratitude of all Minnesotans for hitting the brakes on the possible Sanford Health-Fairview Health Services merger that meant a takeover of our University of Minnesota Medical Center.  Taxpayers can have confidence that the educational, training, and research facilities they’ve paid for and donated to will stay in local hands.  Minnesota patients can rest easy that the mission to do research and care for the toughest cases will remain a priority.

That said, however, we can’t relax that the continued corporatization of health care in the state won’t continue or that patient care will continue to look very different in the future.
… Read more about: Corporate Mergers Need Watching…with a Microscope!  »

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In: Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics, Unsafe Staffing

MNA Legislative Update, April 12, 2013

Standards of Care Update

On Wednesday the revised bill, focusing on transparency for patients and a Minnesota Department of Health study of the correlation between staffing and patient outcomes, passed the House Ways and Means Committee, completing the committee process in the House and moving on to a floor vote.

In the Senate, the bill was passed by the Health and Human Services Finance Committee this morning. There will be one more committee stop in the Senate, which should happen later this month.

Our main objective for the remainder of the 2013 legislative session is to ensure that a comprehensive and accurate study is completed.
… Read more about: MNA Legislative Update April 12, 2013  »

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In: Bargaining, Duluth Bargaining, Healthcare, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

NOTES ON NURSING
Tentative Agreement for St. Lukes Nurses in Duluth   The Minnesota Nurses Association announced late Tuesday that Duluth nurses came to a tentative contract agreement with St. Luke’s hospital that would raise wages 4.5 percent. The three-year agreement would go into effect in July and run into June 2016.  View pictures of the great solidarity action  and a video of MNA’s powerful opening statement

Alarm Fatigue Puts Patients at Risk    The Joint Commission issued a “sentinel event alert” to hospitals, saying that the problem of “alarm fatigue” can jeopardize patients, and it urged hospitals “to take a focused look at this serious patient safety issue.’”  Watch MNA President Linda Hamilton’s interview on Fox 9 News.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, April 10, 2013: Tentative agreement for Duluth RNs; Alarm fatigue puts patients at risk  »

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In: Bargaining, Duluth Bargaining, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses

Incredible show of solidarity as 150 nurses, family members, and fellow union members greet the St. Luke’s bargaining team prior to negotiations. Then, an emotional message from about the importance to respect nurses by offering them a fair offer for their continued hard work under short-staffed situations.
… Read more about: Support and solidarity for Duluth nurses prior to contract talks  »