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.

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. We expect that hearing to take place next week.   We need to reach out to members of the Senate who are still undecided on the bill. Even if you have already contacted your state senator, please reach out again. If you haven’t already, tell your senator why we need to address staffing in Minnesota hospitals, and ask for their support.

Contact your state senator today and ask them to support strong consumer transparency language, nurse staffing reporting and a comprehensive study that gathers real, Minnesota-specific data about the correlation between staffing and health outcomes.    Click here to use the MNA Grassroots Action Center to send an email.    Let your senator know:

• You’re a nurse
• Why it is important to shine a light on the correlation between staffing and health outcomes
• Why better nurse staffing matters to you and your patients

Mayo “Destination Medical Center”
This week the Mayo Clinic returned to the legislature with a revised proposal regarding the state’s contribution to the Destination Medical Center expansion project in Rochester. The new plan in the House requires Rochester and Olmstead County to contribute more to the project, and reduces the state contribution from $585 million to under $400 million.   Last week MNA, along with SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and UNITE HERE, the hotel and restaurant workers union, submitted a letter to legislators raising questions about the project, including seeking more information about what kind of jobs would be created by the expansion, how the project would affect quality of care and Mayo’s obligation to provide charity care. After the release of the new plan, we still haven’t received answers to our questions and will continue to seek information before supporting such a major public investment in a private institution.

Out-of-state purchase of University of Minnesota Hospital
While the Sanford/Fairview merger talks are off, due to the public inquiry into the matter by Attorney General Lori Swanson, the trend of hospital consolidation and corporatization continues. Representative Joe Atkins (DFL- Inver Grove Heights) held a hearing this week on his bill to prohibit the sale of the University of Minnesota hospital to an out-of-state entity. Minnesotans have invested in the University of Minnesota hospital and medical school, and taxpayers deserve to know their investment will continue to serve the interests of Minnesotans, and not be transferred to a for-profit corporation that put profits ahead of patient care and medical education.   The bill passed the House Commerce Committee this week and will move on to the Health and Human Services Policy committee.

State Contract
The contract for over 700 MNA nurses in state facilities was passed by the House on Monday with bipartisan support. Thanks are due to Representative Leon Lillie (DFL-North St. Paul) for all his work on passing the bill in the House.   In the Senate, the contract still has to be passed by the Finance Committee before it goes for a floor vote. In an unprecedented move last session, the same contract, agreed to by both management and employees, was voted down by the Republican-controlled legislature after attacks on public employees all session long. State nurses have gone without a contract for two years, and while this contract will most likely be finalized by the legislature, they will have to start negotiating their next contract immediately, as this one will expire at the end of 2013.

Under the new contract, nurses will receive a 2% wage increase that will be in effect from January – June, 2013.   In addition, the contract calls for tuition reimbursement, bonus pay for extra weekend shifts and charge nurse pay.

Health and Human Services Omnibus Bills
The Governor, Senate and House have all released their Health and Human Services proposals. There are significant differences between the three plans, but we are pleased to see that each plan includes language to keep the state mental health facility in Willmar open. Both the House and Senate plans seek more accountability from Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). The House and Senate each propose increase funding for nursing homes, including a Cost of Living Adjustment for nursing home workers, whose wages have been frozen for years.   The bills are working their way through the legislative process and will go to a conference committee in coming weeks to work out differences.

Federal Update MNA nurses are in Washington, DC today with hundreds of NNU nurses from around the country to lobby for the Robin Hood Tax (HR 1579), a federal nurse-to-patient ratio law (S. 739), and collective bargaining rights for Veterans Administration nurses. They are also rallying in Washington, DC to urge the city council to make local hospitals safer by passing the Patient Protection Act.

   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.

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.  Like any addiction, Substance Use Disorder is a disease and deserves to be treated as such. The program, designed for the unique circumstances posed to health care professionals, offered a path of awareness, admission and action.

Beth Benda praised the program for its comprehensive approach.  “I think it was excellent for the judicial review and legal aspects, and the bio-medical overview was phenomenal,” said Benda.  “I also love the networking with other nurses.  I’ve been able to connect with people I would never run into in any other area.”

The program was also valued for its respectful nature.  “MNA has put together a great panel of speakers, and you are increasing awareness in a very informative, non-judgmental way,” said another attendee.

MNA’s Ethics Committee designed the education day to help nurses support other nurses, and by all accounts the group exceeded its goal.  Aillen Sabaricos is a fairly new employee at HealthEast and a graduate of a foreign nursing program.  “I appreciated learning about the difference in the need for documentation and how it is addressed in the United States.  It’s good to know Health Professionals Service Program is there.  I may not need it, but if a co-worker or somebody I know needs it, I can help.”

Members of the MNA Ethics Committee who helped plan the program are Pamela Wolters, Sandie Anderson, Susan Kreitz, Sarah Simons and Mischelle Knipe, assisted by MNA Staff Linda Mash and Linda Owens.

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.

Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL-Inver Grove Heights) passed the Standards of Care Act out of the Minnesota House Wednesday

The bill still has to clear one more committee in the Senate. That hearing has not yet been scheduled.

We can’t rest yet. We need to reach out to members of the Senate who are still undecided on the bill. Even if you have already contacted your state senator, please reach out again. If you haven’t already, tell your senator why we need to address staffing in Minnesota hospitals and ask for their support.

Contact your state senator today to ask for support of strong consumer transparency language, nurse staffing reporting and a comprehensive study that gathers real data about the correlation between staffing and health outcomes.

Click here to use the MNA Grassroots Action Center to send an email.

Let your senator know:
·         That you’re a nurse
·         Why it is important to shine a light on the correlation between staffing and health outcomes
·         Why better nurse staffing matters to you and your patients

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.

Hospitals Lobby Hard for Medicaid Expansion   With billions of dollars at stake, hospitals are lobbying hard for Medicaid expansion in Columbus, Tallahassee and other state capitals where state legislators oppose the extension of the program to some 17 million Americans.

Continue reading →

Ellison and NNU co-President Jean Ross will appear at the US Capitol to introduce the Inclusive Prosperity Act

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. The fee would generate nearly $1 trillion in revenue over 10 years, stabilizing our deficit and allowing us to invest in the things that matter—education, roads and bridges, and health care for our seniors and veterans

The bill will be cosponsored by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Judy Chu (D-CA), John Conyers (D-MI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), James McGovern (D-MA),  and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). Ellison will be joined by representatives from a wide range of organizations who have led the campaign for a financial transaction tax, and Members of Congress.

WHO:

• Rep. Keith Ellison (MN-05), Chief Deputy Whip and Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Member of Congress
• Jean Ross, RN, Co-President, National Nurses United,
• Wallace C. Tuberville, Former Goldman Sachs Investment Banker; Senior Fellow, Demos,
• Erich Pica, President of Friends of the Earth
• George Goehl, Executive Director, National People’s Action
• Jennifer Flynn, Managing Director, HealthGAP

WHAT:                                  Press Conference on Inclusive Prosperity Act
WHERE:                               Elm Tree Area, U.S. House of Representatives
WHEN:                                  Wednesday, April 17, 2012, 10:00 AM EST

MNA President Linda Hamilton, RN, BSN

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.

A patient could criss-cross the state from Thief River Falls to Monticello to Moose Lake to Marshall and find that the “local” hospital is now part of a chain in the hands of one of the major players in the state: Sanford, Avera, Essentia, Mayo, or Fairview.  Hospital boards continue to struggle to balance budgets while maintaining care for local residents, and the offer of new capital with efficient controls and partnerships with large medical hubs can look pretty attractive.  Trouble is, hospitals can find themselves years into a partnership agreement when they find that the promises don’t match the reality.

Attorney General Lori Swanson questioning Sanford executives

In Sandstone, for example, the hospital board had to have a showdown with Essentia Health to change the 15-year-old contract.  The North Pine Area Hospital District board repeatedly complained about the corporation’s refusal to make the much-needed improvements to the 50-year-old hospital waiting rooms and clinics.

Residents didn’t appreciate that the hospital’s two local administrators were shown the door.   Sandstone city officials even had to fight the company’s unsolicited buyout of their hospital.

In Virginia, fears of loss of control led the city leaders to ensure that the hospital would be a secondary hub for Essentia with enough resources to care for residents from Ely, International Falls, and Cook to keep the facility open and ensure patients wouldn’t have to drive to Duluth for good care.

Before another local hospital becomes another link in the chain, hospital board members need to ask what will happen to patient care.  Will procedures continue to be performed locally or will patients literally face a long road ahead to receive care at a flagship hospital?

Will our hospital continue to be the family hospital where our family is cared for the doctors and nurses who are our neighbors who we trust?  Will the hospital board and CEO be in church with us and have a commitment to our community?  Will our local doctor lose his/her right to independent practice essentially tying them to corporate strings like a marionette that tell him or her what to do and when?

Patients may also wonder if they’ll continue to see their local doctor who may work for a different medical group or if the local experienced nurses they’ve grown accustomed to seeing will still have a job if a corporate takeover happens.

In Minnesota, it may be easy to think that these things would never happen.  After all, our hospitals have to be non-profits, and we brag about our top-shelf level health care.  Non-profit or for-profit, it doesn’t matter.  The style of hospital management is turning customers into numbers and patients into products.

Corporate health care takes away the uniqueness that makes our hometown special.  When we are sick or having our babies, we want excellent care given by doctors and nurses who care in our community.   The local hospital is an investment that was made by our communities years ago by us the taxpayers, by us in the faith communities, and by many of us who generously gave over the decades. We must question and we must speak now before our small hospitals become just feeders for the large corporate healthcare industry.

Thank you Attorney General Swanson, but regulators on the state and local level need to keep track of who owns the hospitals.

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. Ultimately, our goal is safe staffing in every facility, on every unit and during every shift.

In the next few weeks the full House and full Senate will take floor votes on this bill. In the time leading up to the floor votes, it is critical that nurses contact our legislators and stress the importance of transparency about staffing and the need for Minnesota-specific data linking staffing to health outcomes. Contact your state senator and state representative today with the MNA Grassroots Action Center, and ask your coworkers to do the same.

Fairview/Sanford

The biggest news this week was that Sanford withdrew from merger discussions with Fairview. Attorney General Lori Swanson held a standing room only hearing on Sunday to shed light on the possibility of an out-of-state company with for-profit arms taking over Fairview. Attorney General Swanson raised questions about the impact of a merger on important state assets like the University of Minnesota hospital and medical school.  After the hearing, Sanford announced it was backing away from the discussions, and subsequently Fairview said it would also cease consideration of a University of Minnesota proposal to take over Fairview.

While the Sanford/Fairview merger is off, the trend of hospital consolidation and corporatization continues. Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL- Inver Grove Heights) therefore will still hold a hearing on his bill to prohibit the sale of the University of Minnesota hospital to an out-of-state entity. The public hearing will be on Wednesday, April 17, at 4:00 pm in the Basement Hearing Room of the State Office Building.

However, the Attorney General’s second public hearing about the merger, which was scheduled for April 21, has been cancelled. Thank you to all of the nurses who attended the first hearing and who sent in their comments to the Attorney General.

MNA applauds Attorney General Swanson for her role as a watchdog for accountability and transparency for the taxpayers and patients of Minnesota.

Mayo “Destination Medical Center”

The Mayo Clinic’s Destination Medical Center proposal, seeking over $500 million for a major expansion of the clinic and local infrastructure, was heard in the House Taxes Committee this week. MNA, along with SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and UNITE HERE, the hotel and restaurant workers union, submitted a letter to legislators raising questions about the project, including seeking more information about what kind of jobs would be created by the expansion, and how the quality of care and Mayo’s obligation to provide charity care would be affected by the project. Due to these questions and other concerns from legislators, Mayo is working on a revised plan. MNA will continue to monitor this issue.

HHS Budget and HMO Accountability

Both the House and Senate Health and Human Services Omnibus bills contain $150 million in cuts. MNA appreciates the House position of funding those cuts in part by capturing excess funds from Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). A recent report by the Segal Company shows that HMOs have been overcharging the state for management of public health care programs since the Pawlenty administration. MNA and many of our allies have been seeking answers and more transparency regarding the HMO “black box” – the approximately $4 billion in taxpayer dollars HMOs receive annually to administer public health care programs.

Job Creation Events

Members of the House will be holding events focused on the House DFL jobs and bonding proposals around the state this weekend. These bills will promote job creation and move Minnesota’s economy forward. The events will be press conference-style and should be short, 30 minutes or so. If there is an event in your region, please attend if you are able.

SATURDAY, APRIL 13^th

Time:                       10 AM

Legislators:         Speaker Thissen and Representatives Hausman and Dorholt

Location:              St. Cloud Civic Center, Glen Carlson Hall, ST. CLOUD

Time:                       1:30 PM

Legislators:         Speaker Thissen and Representatives Hausman, Mary Murphy, Huntley, and Simonson

Location:              UMD, Kirby Building, Room 333, DULUTH

Time:                       2 PM

Legislators:         Representatives Mahoney, John Ward and Radinovich

Location:              Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport, Conference Room, Main Terminal, BRAINERD

SUNDAY, APRIL 14^th

Time:                       1 PM

Legislators:         Majority Leader Erin Murphy RN and Representatives Hausman, Mahoney, Norton, and

Liebling.

Location:              Mayo Civic Center, Legion Suite, ROCHESTER

Time:                       3 PM

Legislators:         Majority Leader Erin Murphy RN and Representatives Mahoney and Savick

Location:              Riverland Community College, East Building, Room C-110 (Door E5), ALBERT LEA

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.

LABOR UPDATES

St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Musicians Agree to Terms  The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra will start making music again. Concerts are expected to resume after musicians and management announced Tuesday night, April 9,

HEALTH CARE

Health Care CEO Compensation Skyrockets in 2012 The leader of the industry’s largest publicly traded chain with 146 hospitals earned $34.5 million last year, excluding option awards, compared with just $8.5 million in 2011.

Mayo Ratchets Up Pressure on Legislature   Mayo Clinic President and CEO John Noseworthy was talking in Washington, D.C., but he was clearly addressing Minnesota legislators: If the state doesn’t pony up millions for Mayo’s multibillion-dollar expansion, the clinic will take its business elsewhere.

Minnesota Attorney General Announces Second Public Hearing on Proposed Sanford Takeover of Fairview/U-M    Hearing details: The second hearing will take place on Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. in Room 15 of the State Capitol. Doors to the State Capitol open at 1:00 p.m.

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.