MNA Legislative Update, March 8, 2013 (Page 84)

Standards of Care Act Update        

   The Standards of Care Act, MNA’s bill to establish patient assignment limits for nurses passed the Government Operations committee 8-7. The committee passed an amendment to the bill to exempt Critical Access Hospitals (rural hospitals with 25 or fewer beds that meet certain federal criteria) from the legislation. MNA continues to believe that all patients in Minnesota, regardless of their geographic location, are entitled to the same standard of safe nursing care.
  In the House, the bill is now headed for the Health and Human Services Policy Committee. We will alert you when a hearing date is scheduled.

CALL TO ACTION: Contact your legislators TODAY. Legislators are telling us that they’re only hearing from hospitals about this bill. We know you’re calling and emailing, but we need to turn up the volume! If legislators only hear the hospitals’ message that staffing is fine, they’ll never pass our bill.

   Use the MNA Grassroots Action Center to contact your state senator and state representative TODAY. Tell them how your patients are affected by unsafe nurse staffing, and why we need statewide standards of care to protect patients and nurses.

Nurse Practice Act

   After years of discussion, MNA, the Minnesota Board of Nursing and organizations representing LPNs have come to an agreement about changes to the Minnesota Nurse Practice Act clarifying the scope of LPN practice, and the relationship between LPNs and RNs. The Minnesota Nurse Practice Act language has not been updated in over forty years, so this agreement reflects decades of advances in nursing care.  

A bill based on that agreement had a hearing before the House Health and Human Services Policy Committee this morning. Thanks to chief author Representative Patti Fritz, a retired LPN, for moving this bill through the House. The bill passed the committee unanimously and will move on to a vote on the House floor. The Senate companion, SF1016 authored by Senator Chris Eaton, RN, is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Health, Human Services and Housing Committee.

   Over 800 individuals participated in providing feedback on the language, including many MNA members who attended listening sessions last summer or who submitted written comments. Thanks to all of you who spoke up on behalf of your profession.

Health Insurance Exchange

   After multiple hours of floor debates and over 100 amendments, the House and Senate both passed the Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange bill, creating an online marketplace for individuals and small businesses to comparison shop for affordable health care coverage. There are many differences between the two versions of the bill that will be worked out in a conference committee in the coming days.

Town Hall Meetings

   Many legislators are holding town hall meetings for constituents to come learn about the legislative session and share their opinions. This is a great opportunity for you to meet your legislators and build relationships with them. It’s also a good venue to educate your legislator and your neighbors about the need for the Standards of Care Act to establish statewide patient safety standards. Check below to see if your legislator is holding a town hall meeting. (If you know of other meetings that aren’t listed here, please contact Geri Katz at 651-414-2855 or geri.katz@mnnurses.org.)

Saturday, March 9

Representative Shannon Savick Coffee and Conversation

Saturday, March 9, 9:00 am

Prairie Wind Coffee, 211 South Broadway, ALBERT LEA

Senator Kevin Dahle and Representative Kelby Woodard

Saturday, March 9, 10 am

Belle Plain Library, 125 West Main Street, BELLE PLAINE MN 56011

 

Senator Kevin Dahle and Representative Kelby Woodard

Saturday, March 9, 11:30 am

Le Sueur Library, 118 Ferry Street, LE SUEUR MN 56058

 

Senator Kevin Dahle and Representative Kelby Woodard

Saturday, March 9, 1 pm

Le Center City Hall, 10 West Tyrone Street, LE CENTER MN 56057

 

Senator Kevin Dahle and Representative David Bly

Saturday, March 9, 2:30 pm

Northfield Library, 210 Washington Street, NORTHFIELD MN 55057

 

Saturday, March 23

Representative Barb Yarusso Coffee and Conversation

Saturday, March 23, 9:00am – 11:00am

Raz’s Coffee and Ice Cream Café, 1048 Highway 96 W, SHOREVIEW, MN 55126

 

Monday, March 25

Representative Jay McNamar

Monday, March 25, 7am – 8am

Hans House, 116 Central Ave. N., ELBOW LAKE, MN 55631

 

Representative Jay McNamar

Monday, March 25, 11:30am – 12:30pm

Wheaton Public Library, Community Room, 901 1st Ave North, WHEATON, MN

 

Wednesday, March 27

Representative Jay McNamar

Wednesday March 2, 7:00am – 8:00am

Starbuck Community Center, 307 East 5th Street, STARBUCK, MN 56381

 

Representative Jay McNamar

Wednesday March 2, 8:30am – 9:30am

Senior Community Center, 609 Oregon Ave, MORRIS MN 56267

 

Representative Jay McNamar

Wednesday March 2, 10:30am – 11:30am

Graceville City Hall, 415 Studdart Avenue, GRACEVILLE, MN 56240

 

Representative Jay McNamar

Wednesday March 2, 1:00pm – 2:00pm

Ortonville Public Library Resource Room, 412 2nd St. NW, ORTONVILLE, MN56278

 

Saturday, March 30

Representative Mary Sawatzky Coffee and Conversation

Saturday, March 30, 9:00am – 10:30am

The Westwood, 142 Lake Ave North, SPICER, MN

 

Representative Yvonne Selcer Coffee and Conversation

Saturday, March 30, 9am – 10:30am

Caribou Coffee, 14444 Excelsior Boulevard, MINNETONKA, MN 55345

Saturday, April 6

Senator Ann Rest, Representatives Lyndon Carlson and Mike Freiberg

Saturday, April 6, 9:30 am

Robbinsdale City Hall, 4100 Lakeview Avenue North, ROBBINSDALE MN 55422

 

Representative Barb Yarusso

Saturday, April 6, 10:00am – 12:00pm

Mounds View Public Library Meeting Room, 2576 County Road 10, MOUNDS VIEW, MN 55112

Saturday, April 13

Representative Mary Sawatzky Coffee and Conversation

Saturday, April 13, 8:00am – 9:30am

LuLu Bean’s, Small Downstairs meeting room, 1020 First St. South, WILLMAR, MN

Saturday, April 20

Representative Jay McNamar Town Hall

Saturday, April 20, 1pm – 2pm

Ortonville Public Library Resource Room, 412 2nd St. NW, ORTONVILLE, MN56278

Saturday, April 27

Representative Barb Yarusso Coffee and Conversation

Saturday, April 27, 9:00am – 11:00am

Caribou Coffee, 3673 Lexington Avenue N, ARDEN HILLS, MN 55126

Saturday, June 1

Senator Ann Rest and Representatives Lyndon Carlson and Mike Freiberg

Saturday, June 1, 9:30 am

Crystal Community Center, 4800 Douglas Drive North, CRYSTAL MN 55429

On:
In: Activism, Healthcare, Hospitals, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Organizing, Politics, Unsafe Staffing

Standards of Care Act Update        

   The Standards of Care Act, MNA’s bill to establish patient assignment limits for nurses passed the Government Operations committee 8-7. The committee passed an amendment to the bill to exempt Critical Access Hospitals (rural hospitals with 25 or fewer beds that meet certain federal criteria) from the legislation. MNA continues to believe that all patients in Minnesota, regardless of their geographic location, are entitled to the same standard of safe nursing care.
  In the House, the bill is now headed for the Health and Human Services Policy Committee. We will alert you when a hearing date is scheduled.
… Read more about: MNA Legislative Update, March 8, 2013  »

On:
In: Activism, Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

NOTES ON NURSING

One Step Further.  Standards of Care Act Passes Another Legislative Committee   Patients and families are closer to having their risks reduced in hospitals, as the House Committee on Government Operations gave its endorsement of the Standards of Care Act today.  The bill requires hospitals to provide staffing according to nationally-established standards.

Nurses Courtney Lucht, Eric Tronnes and Juli Uzlik testifed about the need to have a foundation of standards because hospitals are not providing even the minimum staff they promise.  Tronnes described fruitless meetings with hospital management in Staffing Advisory Committees because “productivity invariably trumps safe nursing care.”

Next step for the bill is likely to be the House committee on Health Policy.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, March 6, 2013; Standards of Care Act moves forward; MI nurses propose staffing legislation  »

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In: Activism, Bargaining, Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

NOTES ON NURSING

Study:  Management Not in Tune with Quality Improvement   It appears that while hospital management asserts that patient-centred care is important and invests in patient satisfaction and patient experience surveys, our findings suggest that the majority do not have a structured plan for promoting improvement of patient satisfaction and engaging clinicians in the process.

HEALTH CARE

Kids, Seniors Prone to MRSA Infections Depending on Season   Children have a greater risk for infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in summer while seniors have a greater risk in winter, according to the study published online Feb.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, March 4, 2013: Chasm between boardroom and bedside; MRSA quirks  »

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In: Activism, Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Hospitals, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

Standards of Care Act

MNA’s Standards of Care Act is picking up steam at the Capitol. The bill passed its first committee in the House last week, and is scheduled to be heard next on Wednesday, March 6 at 10:00 am in the House Government Operations Committee in the Basement Hearing Room of the State Office Building. Please contact Geri Katz by email or at 651-414-2855 if you can show your support for the bill and the nurses who will testify.

Stories are pouring in from nurses and patients all over Minnesota, illustrating the human side of unsafe staffing.
… Read more about: MNA Legislative Update, March 1, 2013  »

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In: Hospitals, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Patient Safety, Politics, Unsafe Staffing

Video:  CNO of Essentia Sandra “Mac” McCarthy testifying to the House Labor, Regulated Workplace and Industries Committee on the Standards of Care Act, February 21, 2013.

Compare this to what Joe Howard, RN, at Miller-Dwan Burn Unit said:

“Chairman Johnson, Members of the Committee. Thank you for this opportunity.  My name is Joe Howard.  I’ve been a Registered Nurse for 11 years, and for the past year and a half, I’ve had the pleasure to work in the Burn Intensive Care Unit at Miller Dwan Medical Center in Duluth. 

As a nurse in the burn unit, you can imagine I have some serious cases. 
… Read more about: What Nursing Supervisors are saying…  »

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In: Activism, Healthcare, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics

When Minnesota’s Commissioner of Management and Budget (MMB) Jim Showalter talked to MNA members earlier this month, he made one thing very clear. We’re on the edge of our seat.

That’s because Minnesota’s revenues are a three-legged stool: sales taxes, income taxes, and property taxes. Problem is, sales taxes have fallen short-27 percent of revenues in the last budget cycle. Meaning MNA members and middle-class Minnesotans are bearing the brunt of state needs with property taxes and income taxes. One leg of our stool is a little short. How short? Minnesotans paid 48 percent of Minnesota’s revenues in personal taxes for 2012-2013. (source: http://www.mmb.state.mn.us/doc/budget/report-pie/general-june12.pdf)

That’s not vertigo we’re feeling – it’s April 15th.
… Read more about: It’s a budget discussion. Have a seat, but don’t lean over.  »

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In: Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety, Politics, Unsafe Staffing

NOTES ON NURSING

Number of Male Nurses Triples Since 1970 A new study from the United States Census Bureau reports the number of male nurses has more than tripled since the 1970s. Back then, about 2.7 percent of registered nurses were men. The new study, which tracked data through 2011, finds that men now make up 9.6 percent of all employed nurses in the United States – about 330,000 men in total.

Intubation in ICU Linked to PTSD   Mechanical  ventilation may prompt severe hallucinatory or delirious symptoms for patients  in the ICU, who even as long as two years later might experience symptoms  associated with post-traumatic stress disorder.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, February 27, 2013: It’s RNing Men; Progress for state health improvement program  »

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In: Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics

While some people’s eyes glaze over when they hear the word, “sequestration,” on the news, the effects of the “S” word are sure to hit every state if ignored.

What is it?  It’s a series of automatic cuts-called the sequester- that will take effect unless Congress acts by March 1.  The Obama Administration has presented a state-by-state analysis of what these cuts mean to middle class jobs, children, seniors, the sick, and those men and women in uniform.

Impacts for healthcare this year include:

$507,000 lost to Minnesota to respond to public health threats, including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and catastrophic events.
… Read more about: I keep hearing about this sequestration thing…  »

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In: Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Politics

Do you believe it’s time for the state budget to improve the lives of middle class families? Should the wealthiest Minnesotans pay their fair share? Should we invest in our state’s most important priorities? Governor Dayton’s budget proposal <http://www.mn.gov/governor/budget/>  achieves those goals, while fixing our state’s structural deficit and making government more efficient. It’s an honest budget without gimmicks.
The House Tax Committee will be hearing the Governor’s budget proposal <http://www.mn.gov/governor/budget/>  tomorrow night. It’s important for supporters of Governor Dayton’s proposal to attend the hearing.
What:  House Tax Committee hearing of Governor Dayton’s budget proposal
When:  Wednesday, February 27th
Time:  7:00 PM
Where:  Room 10, State Office Building, 100 Rev.
… Read more about: Governor Dayton Budget hearing Wednesday night  »

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In: Healthcare, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Legislative Policy, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Nursing, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

NOTES ON NURSING

Local Nurses Say Hospitals “Skirting the Law”

Area nurses and healthcare advocates met in Worcester with the Health Policy Commission on Friday to fight against mandatory overtime practices being used at local hospitals to skirt the issue of poor staffing.  “You cannot allow this to continue,” said Colleen Wolfe, RN at UMass Memorial in her testimony to the commission. “Our patients are suffering every day from deplorable care resulting from understaffing of this hospital, and staff is being forced to practice while exhausted…”

LABOR UPDATES

Twin Cities Security Workers/Cleaners Prepare for Strike   “This is the first time in the U.S.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, February 25, 2013: Nurses say hospitals use overtime to cover poor staffing  »