MNA Legislative Update, February 8, 2013 (Page 86)

Nurses at the Capitol

MNA nurses flooded the Capitol on Tuesday, bringing the message that patients are at risk in Minnesota hospitals, and we must have a statewide standard of care to ensure patients get the nursing care they deserve.

Nurses from all over the state came to St. Paul on Tuesday to meet with their legislators and call for patient safety legislation, as well as to support Governor Dayton’s budget and increased access to affordable health care for all Minnesotans. Nurses also took part in education sessions and heard from speakers including Governor Mark Dayton and Commissioner of Management and Budget,  Jim Schowalter.

MNA nurses with Senator Jeff Hayden (DFL-Minneapolis, second from right), champion for patient safety.
MNA nurses with Senator Jeff Hayden (DFL-Minneapolis, second from right), champion for patient safety.

Patient Safety: We’ve only just begun

We continue to advance the Standards of Care campaign at the Capitol. Until nurses can trust we have a standard that provides enough staff when necessary for patient safety, we will continue to insist on enforceable statutory language to protect all patients.

MNA members will visit the Capitol at least once a week for the rest of the legislative session. Drop in any Wednesday to advance the Standards of Care Act. We will meet at 11:00a.m. at the MNA office for a legislative briefing and then carpool to the Capitol to speak to legislators. If you would prefer, you can meet us outside the House Chambers on the second floor of the Capitol at 12:00 pm. Contact Geri Katz by email or at 651-414-2855 to RSVP or for more information.

Stay tuned for other opportunities to make your voice heard.

Governor Dayton’s State of the State Address

In Governor Dayton’s State of the State speech on Wednesday, he outlined his priorities for the coming year, including his budget proposal. MNA supports the Governor’s budget because it is honest, fair and helps to strengthen working families.

For more information and analysis, visit the Minnesota Budget Project.

Agreement on RN Scope of Practice

After nearly two decades of discussion, MNA came to an agreement with unions representing LPNs on changes to the Nurse Practice Act. On Thursday the Minnesota Board of Nursing voted to move forward with bringing the agreed-upon language to the legislature. The language preserves the RN scope of practice, while clarifying delegation and assessment for both the RN and the LPN. MNA will now work with the BON and LPNs to move the changes through the legislature. We will disseminate the final language when it is available from the Board of Nursing.

Nurse Licensure Compact

A bill requiring Minnesota to join the Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact was introduced this week. Last session, MNA nurses were vocal in our opposition to this bill, flooding the Capitol with messages and stories about the dangers of this bill. We continue to oppose it, and will alert you if there are opportunities to speak out about it. (See last year’s position paper about the Compact here.)  On Monday night, nurses were pleased to hear Governor Mark Dayton reaffirm his pledge to veto any bill that would allow Minnesota into the Compact.

Health Insurance Exchange

The bill creating a Minnesota health insurance exchange has continued to progress through the committee process. The legislation will help make health care coverage more affordable and accessible for Minnesotans and will allow the state to negotiate for the best coverage for Minnesotans and small businesses. The next stop for the bill is the Health and Human Services Finance Committee in both the House and Senate.

Please take a moment to thank the bill authors, Senator Tony Lourey (DFL-Kerrick) and Representative Joe Atkins (DFL-Inver Grove Heights) for their leadership and hard work on this important legislation.

Town Hall Meetings

Many legislators hold town hall meetings in their districts to hear from their constituents. These meetings are a great opportunity for you to meet your legislators and tell them your story about patients at risk due to unsafe nurse staffing. Tell your story and ask your legislators to support MNA’s Standards of Care Campaign to create statewide standards of care, taking into account patient acuity and nursing intensity.

Below are the meetings we’re aware of. If you know of one that’s not listed here, please contact Geri Katz by email or at 651-414-2855.

DateDistrictLegislatorsPlaceTime
2/7/201354Sen. Katie Sieben and Reps Dan Schoen and Rick HansenSouth St. Paul City Hall, 125 3rd Ave N7:00 PM
2/9/201341Reps. Bernardy and Laine; Sen. GoodwinNew Brighton Community Center (400 10th Street NW)10:00 AM
2/9/201341Reps. Bernardy and Laine; Sen. GoodwinAnoka County Library (410 Mississippi Street NE, Fridley)3:00 PM
2/9/201341Sen. Barb Goodwin, Rep. Connie Bernardy and Rep. Carolyn LaineThe Landings at Silver Lake Village (2551 38th Ave NE, St. Anthony)1:00 PM
2/9/201342ASen. Bev Scalze and Rep. Barb YarussoShoreview City Hall Building, 4600 Victoria St9:00 AM
2/9/201342BSen Bev Scalze and Rep. Jason IsaacsonShoreview City Hall Building, 4600 Victoria St11:00 AM
2/12/201349BSen. Melisa Franzen, Rep. Paul RosenthalBloomington Civic Plaza, Council Chambers (1800 W Old Shakopee Rd)6pm
2/12/201349BSen. Franzen, Rep. RosenthalBloomington Civic Plaza Council Chambers (1800 West Old Shakopee Road)6:00 PM
2/16/201348ARep. Yvonne SelcerMinnetonka  Glen Lake Activity Center ( 14350 Excelsior Blvd.)11:00 AM
2/19/201344Sen. Terri BonoffPlymouth City Hall Council Chambers (3400 Plymouth Boulevard)6:30 PM
2/21/201351BRep. Laurie Halverson and Commissioner Jim SchowalterEagan Municipal Center, City Council Chamber, 3830 Pilot Knob Rd6:00 PM
2/23/201338ARep. Runbeck and Sen. ChamberlainHugo City Hall Council Chambers (14669 Fitzgerald Avenue North)10:00 AM
2/23/201349Sen. Franzen, Reps. Rosenthal and ErhardtEdina Community Center, room 350 (5701 Normandale Road)10:00 AM
2/23/201349Sen. Melisa FranzenEdina Community Center, room 350 (5701 Normandale Road)10:00 AM
2/23/201351BRep. Laurie HalversonDewey’s Café in the Wescott Library (1340 Wescott Rd, Eagan)10:00 AM
2/23/201357Sen. Greg ClausenRobert Trail Library (14395 S Robert Tr, Rosemount)10:00 AM
2/23/201365Sen. Sandra PappasSt. Paul College (235 Marshall Ave)10:00 AM
2/25/201337Sen. Alice JohnsonBlaine City Hall Council Chambers (10801 Town Square Drive NE)6:30 PM
2/27/201344Sen. BonoffMinnetonka City Hall Council Chambers (14600 Minnetonka Boulevard)6:30 PM

 

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

Nurses at the Capitol

MNA nurses flooded the Capitol on Tuesday, bringing the message that patients are at risk in Minnesota hospitals, and we must have a statewide standard of care to ensure patients get the nursing care they deserve.

Nurses from all over the state came to St. Paul on Tuesday to meet with their legislators and call for patient safety legislation, as well as to support Governor Dayton’s budget and increased access to affordable health care for all Minnesotans. Nurses also took part in education sessions and heard from speakers including Governor Mark Dayton and Commissioner of Management and Budget,  Jim Schowalter.
… Read more about: MNA Legislative Update, February 8, 2013  »

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

NOTES ON NURSING

Nurses on the Hill 2013

MNA’S Nurses Day on the Hill 2013 in pictures

Legislators learned a lot about patients at risk in acute care hospitals, and why MNA members support the Governor’s proposed budget and Health Care for All. Revisit MNA’s Blog later today for a video featuring nurse stories.

HEALTH CARE

Boost in Hospice Care By Way of ICU   Yes, more people are getting hospice care — but they are getting it for only a few days and often, only after highly aggressive care near the end of life, including multiple hospitalizations and stays in intensive care units.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, February 6, 2013: Nurses lobby for patient care; Good-bye Saturday mail  »

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

NOTES ON NURSING

Forced Flu Shots Not the Cure    Too many hospitals, whose mantra is profits, not patient safety, favor forced vaccinations while cutting nursing or housekeeping staff, and denying paid sick leave, as most industrialized nations ensure.

Staffing Danger on Wards      More than 57% of those asked in the survey described their ward or unit as sometimes or always “dangerously understaffed”. Of those who had witnessed poor care, nearly 30% said they had seen it happen regularly.

LABOR UPDATES

Everybody’s Workin’ for … The Health Care Benefits     Three-quarters of retirees said they worked longer than they would have otherwise to maintain access to their health plan.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, February 4, 2013: On forced flu shots; Staffing “dangerously low” in Britain too  »

On:
In: Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association, Nurses, Patient Safety, Unsafe Staffing

Linda-Hamilton_1by MNA President Linda Hamilton, RN, BSN

After nine years, hospitals are still reporting 314 adverse events that could have been prevented.

Patients are suffering; families are grieving because systems did not adequately protect them from preventable mistakes, such as falls and the development of pressure ulcers.

Beyond the sobering revelations of Wednesday’s 2013 Adverse Health Event report, nurses at the bedside are deeply concerned that other troubling instances are not reported.   We catch our breath with every “near miss,” every late medication, every discharge with hasty instruction.  We provide a safety net through our continual monitoring, but we see the foundation of that net eroding more each day.
… Read more about: Preventable Adverse Events Are a System Failure  »

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

HEALTH CARE

Docs Weigh In:  Workloads are Unsafe   (JAMA abstract only)  For resident physicians, workload so heavy as to result in physician fatigue is associated with increased medical errors and has led to the implementation of work-hour restrictions.2– 3 For nurses, a recent cross-sectional analysis showed a significant association between patient mortality and low staffing.4 Fourteen states have enacted legislation and/or adopted regulations to address nurse staffing.5

 

LABOR UPDATES

Ford UAW Workers Receive $8,300 Profit Payout    UAW members have not had a wage increase in at least eight years, relying on lump-sum payments and profit sharing for between 20% and 25% of their annual pay, Dziczek said.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, January 30, 2013: Docs weigh in-patients are not safe  »

On:
In: Labor Unions, Minnesota Nurses Association, Politics

nlrb-appointments-unconstitutional

Nurses, autoworkers, janitors, and all union-organized workers depend on one thing to maintain fair working conditions with their employers: the enforcement of the National Labor Relations Act.  Recently, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals struck down President Obama’s appointment of three members to the National Labor Relations Board while the US Senate was on spring break. While this could be just a Washington power grab towards the President or organized labor, or both, but the effect is workers will need to be even more vigilant about their rights in the workplace.

Workers  need a staffed and effective NLRB to decide cases that involve employers violating the National labor Relations Act pertaining to working conditions, organizing efforts, and collective bargaining.  
… Read more about: Union workers caught in middle while NLRB politics shakes out  »

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

NOTES ON NURSING

OpEd: Report Medical Errors and Caregiver Injuries   Every 24 hours across the nation there are, on average, 4,658 newly identified hospital-acquired infections, 1,369 patient falls and perhaps as many as 800,000 medication errors. Furthermore, injuries to caregivers are among the highest rates of any occupation, with as many as 950 injuries per day in the United States.

HEALTH CARE

A Hospital Bill Without the Hospital    To many people this may be the equivalent of billing for oral surgery after a teeth cleaning. But Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, which owns the dermatology practice, said Reed’s insurer allows the Burlington hospital to charge patients an overhead fee when they are treated by doctors it employs — even when their offices are not located in the hospital but in a medical building 1½ miles away.
… Read more about: MNA NewsScan, January 28, 2013: Medical errors & caregiver injuries need Presidential priority  »

On:
In: Uncategorized

Governor Dayton Releases Budget Proposal

On Tuesday, Governor Dayton released his proposal to address Minnesota’s budget deficit, fund important state priorities, and strengthen the middle class while making the tax system fairer.

MNA supports Governor Dayton’s budget plan to invest in the state by fixing the broken system of raising revenue and tip the scales back in favor of the middle class.

Health Care: The Governor’s plan increases and improves access to health care. The plan funds: