Daily Archives: September 3, 2013

09.03.13
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Join the MSNA “Health Care is a Human Right” Tour!

Join MSNA and healthcare justice advocates on the “Health Care is a Human Right” Tour! The program consists of two parts – health screenings and town hall meetings — and the tour’s purpose is to broaden and diversify public support and deepen RN support for Medicare for All.

We also want to collect stories of healthcare denials, medical bankruptcies, and financial hardship to press the case for why we need guaranteed healthcare via improved Medicare for All— the only real solution to the healthcare crisis. By reaching out to seniors and communities touched by unemployment, foreclosure, shrinking health coverage and even more scarce treatment options, we hope to both serve and educate.

In Bangor and Portland, we’ll do outreach in the community in the afternoon (via media and leafleting) and set-up. The health care screening begins at 3:00pm, followed immediately by a town hall from 6:00 – 7:30pm at the same site. Exact locations will be announced as soon as we have them.

If you would like to volunteer some time to conduct basic screenings, meet your neighbors and help NNU build the national case for universal coverage through Medicare For All, please sign up here and we’ll contact you with more information!

TOUR DATES: 

  • October 14 Portland 
  • October 15 Bangor

RNs click here to volunteer to conduct free health screenings

Thank you,

MSNA / NNOC

www.MaineNurse.org

 

09.03.13
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Strike Staffing for Travel Nurses

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SONY DSCHealthcare industry strikes are a bit different than when other industries strike, considering that sick patients cannot wait out a job action and the stakes are people’s health. These patients need care when they need it, and not receiving it can literally mean life or death. Nurse strike staffing is crucial to helping them!

Nurses are such an integral piece of a health system that when they strike they must be subbed for immediately in order to maintain patient care. In theater they say “The show must go on.” Similarly in healthcare, the nursing must go on! And, it must go on with skilled, trained, certified travel nurses. Those already familiar with the hit-the-ground-running nature of travel nursing are especially suited for nurse strike staffing.

Nurse strikes may occur due to a number of factors: concerns regarding hospital/workplace safety (of nurses and/or patients), work environment in terms of stress, benefits and/or pay disagreements, and other reasons. As a fellow nurse, you may be unsure if you want to become a strike worker. But most nurses value patient care so highly they feel strongly the need to step in and maintain patient care while the perm staff and their administration work out whatever dispute is on the table. Travel nurses are very helpful when it comes to nurse strike staffing. They are used to adapting quickly to new environments and can easily come right in and cover patient needs while the job action comes to its conclusion. Then, when perm staff is ready to return, the positions have only been temporarily filled and may still be available for them.

There are several travel nurse staffing companies, but when it comes to nurse strike staffing there are a few companies who directly specialize in this area:

Healthsource Global Staffing

Nursebridge (a division of Medical Solutions)

U.S. Nursing Corporation

Huffmaster Healthcare Strikes

Nurse strike staffing companies don’t just put any nurse in any position, but work carefully to match nurses to jobs keeping in mind the needs of the hospitals and their patients, as well as the travel staff.

In your travel nurse career, have you ever worked a strike? What was your experience?

09.03.13
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Minnesota vs. Wisconsin: who’s winning the jobs battle?

Joe Atkins

Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL-Inver Grove Heights)

Ok, in a few short weeks, Minnesotans and Wisconites will have an answer to the question of which state has the better football team, but the debate over which state has a better jobs and overall business climate is already ongoing.

Credit Minnesota representative Joe Atkins with trying to answer this question definitively.  Atkins said the discussion has contained far too much exaggeration on both sides of the border, and he convened a hearing of the House Commerce and Consumer Protection, Finance, and Policy Committee.

The facts are, Minnesota’s jobless rate is 5.3 percent, Wisconsin’s is 7.1 percent (source). Minnesota has more Fortune 500 companies, and more tech companies are moving to the state as well, including on-line photo service, Shutterfly, (source).  Minnesota agreed to expand Medicaid expansion and grow the number of people covered by some type of i

nsurance.  Wisconsin has not.

Those last two facts are important, given all the hyperbole of business taxes sending jobs and contracts over the St. Croix.  Atkins called on Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to report on the efforts to lure new companies to Minnesota.  DEED’s testifiers said they’re busier than ever, and the latest funding measures in education are a great asset to lure out-of-state companies to Minnesota.  DEED reports the Minnesota’s upside far outweighs any perceived downside of higher taxes.  “Taxes don’t tell the whole story,” DEED reported.

At least Atkins is getting the whole story.  If voters are just listening to fear-mongers, they may not.