Scholarship Awarded.
The Holly Sue Dobson Memorial Scholarship for a nursing student has been awarded to Kelsey Logan Martin of Houlton. Kelsey’s mom is Sheryl Martin, a nurse in the Acute Care Unit at Houlton Regional Hospital. Congratulations!
Night Shift Alert!
Candlelight Vigil for Safety and Commitment
Down East Community Hospital – 11 Hospital Drive, Machias
Friday, February 17, 5pm
Show Your Support – Bring Family, Friends and Winter Gear
DECH Proposed Cuts Are Bad for Patients and Unfair to Employees
DECH administration wants to make cutsw that may risk RN staffing shortages. In the past, DECH which is in Machias, has been challenged with recruitment and retention of RNs and technical employees. The hospital continues to struggle with RN recruitment in many areas on both days and nights. During bargaining, management has attempted to make cuts in the very areas that have had recruitment problems in the past. This not only makes no sense, but could risk staffing shortages throughout the hospital.
“I took the night shift position based on the pay and benefits over six years ago. Without my wage rate, it is not worth how upside down it makes my every day life. I have a young family and just purchased a house–and I didn’t get my mortgage based on an 11% pay cut. It will be very difficult to keep staff on nights with the reduced pay. Right now, our own OB department doesn’t have a complete night shift staff and the hospital wants to make it more difficult to recruit night nurses–that is not safe.”
—Kadi Merchant, RN, DECH
“Fair call pay is a necessity for a well-run OR. OR nurses who are on call must report to work within 30 minutes and have to sleep at the hospital on storm days. These nurses have to take calls above and beyond their regularly scheduled hours, including coming in the middle of the night (and then reporting to work at 7 a.m. the next day.) We do not support cuts to the OR call pay.”
—Liz Faraci, RN, ASU, DECH
In contract negotiations nurses and technical employees at DECH are committed to a well staffed, well run hospital. MSNA proposals have been about patient safety and recruitment and retention.
Please support DECH Nurses and join us on Feb. 17!
Save the Date! MSNA Educational Conference
Friday, April 27 & Saturday, April 28
Join with nurses from all over Maine to learn and share issues that are important to nurses and patients today.
Continuing Education classes will include the following topics:
HIPPA This course provides a review of pertinent HIPAA definitions, the legislative history, and intent of relevant privacy rules and regulations as they relate to the collection, use, and disclosure of protected, individually identifiable electronic health information. It describes the appropriate safeguards that RNs must follow to protect the privacy of patients’ health information and discusses the rationale and strategies for protecting RN professional practice and credibility with the public.
Nurses’ Workers Compensations Rights Injuries at work for nurses and health care workers are increasing at the same time that protections for injured workers are under attack.
This course will be an overview on all aspects of workers compensation laws. Bath Salts Alert and more.
The 2012 MSNA Educational Conference will be held at the Sugarloaf Hotel in Carrabassett Valley! Rooms have been set aside– call Jamie at the MSNA office to pre-register 207-622-1057 or email jbraley@calnurses.org.
Two nights of lodging for each MSNA/NNOC/NNU member at double occupancy is available. If you have a roommate preference please let Jamie know. As a reminder, all applicable travel expenses are fully reimbursable to MSNA/NNOC/ NNU members. Full brochure to be mailed soon!
MSNA Press Releases
The Nurses and Techs from Down East Community Hospital have been bargaining since last Fall to have a fair and equitable contract. Nurses, Techs, all staff have worked hard to overcome the adversity of the receivership in the past few years to provide the best possible care in the State. The staff provides the highest level of care and management is taking the wrong direction for the community of Machias. —MSNA Media Advisory, 04/09/12 More »
Maine Press Releases
MSNA News
The disrespect Eastern Maine Medical Center Board Chairman Mike McInnis shows in his March 19 commentary toward nurses who have devoted years of service to our patients and our community, and his dismissive tone about our serious concerns about patient safety, demonstrates why we continue to have a dispute at EMMC.
—Bangor Daily News, 04/15/11 More »
Maine News
MSNA Blog
In every city and town across America today there is a "Mr. Cellophane," as the musical Chicago put it, and other men, women, and children who seem to have become invisible to those who set policy in Washington and to the financiers on Wall Street who put them in the shadows. More »
Main Street, Nationwide, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia Blog
Maine State Nurses Association
160 Capitol Street, Suite 1
Augusta ME 04330
T. 207-622-1057
F. 207-623-4072
Email | www.MaineNurse.org
