As I write this letter, I am surrounded by my own young children’s playful laughter and I am both sad and angry for the community I have cared for over the years. This is a dark day for the families of our community. —Taunton Daily Gazette, 04/02/13 More »
South Florida registered nurses this week are celebrating their first ever collective bargaining agreement at Florida Medical Center (FMC) and Palmetto General Hospital, with terms they say will both improve patient care as well as secure economic gains for nurses and their families. —Caribbean Today, 04/02/13 More »
In Antioch, California, Angela Glasper walks through the Kaiser Permanente medical center talking to fellow employees about an upcoming vote between two unions. For years she represented her worksite in negotiations and defended co-workers in grievance meetings. Now she hopes they will listen to her and vote for the National Union of Healthcare Workers. —Labor Notes, 04/01/13 More »
SAN FRANCISCO—Registered nurses who are members of the California Nurses Association will vote in April on a new 34-month proposed contract with California Pacific Medical Center that includes a 6 percent wage increase and guaranteed meal and rest breaks, the union announced March 27. —BNA, 03/29/13 More »
The federal healthcare law will help cause insurance premiums to rise 30% on average for many middle-income Californians next year, but lower-income consumers could save up to 84%, a new government report says. —LAtimes.com, 03/28/13 More »
It's no coincidence that the California Nurses Association has been the most active and effective union in fighting for a broad social and economic justice agenda, one that seeks to give greater value to caring and caregiving. Unlike many unions that fight mostly for their members' interests, CNA is an extension of the nursing ethos itself. —San Francisco Bay Guardian, 03/27/13 More »
TAMPA — Army Staff Sgt. Alex Dillmann, his spine severely wounded by an explosion in Afghanistan, said his nurses at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center were horribly overworked and short-staffed. —Tampa Bay Times, 03/23/13 More »
Until 1969, the federal government required not-for-profit hospitals to meet the 5 percent standard. However, after Medicare and Medicaid were enacted in 1965, hospitals argued that the need for charity care would decline so that hospitals could not meet the IRS standard and that they should be awarded more flexibility. The IRS dropped the 5 percent rule but established a “community benefit standard.” —MyDesert.com, 03/22/13 More »
BLUEFIELD — Nurses and their supporters formed a picket line Tuesday evening near the entrance to Bluefield Regional Medical Center and drew attention to what they said were violations of federal law by the facility’s owner, Community Health Systems medical facilities. —Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 03/20/13 More »
RANCHO MIRAGE — A new bill under consideration in Sacramento would require not-for-profit hospitals such as Eisenhower Medical Center to raise charity spending to 5 percent of their net revenue. —Palm Springs Desert Sun, 03/18/13 More »
APPLE VALLEY-Nurses held a candlelight vigil Wednesday night at St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, calling for improved nurse staffing throughout the St. Joseph Health System. —Daily Press, 03/15/13 More »
Saying that housing is a basic human right, about 75 protesters gathered in downtown Oakland Wednesday as part of the new Homes for All campaign. The grassroots movement, launched with similar events in 11 cities nationwide, asks President Obama and other elected leaders to develop a plan to expand and protect affordable housing. —SF Chronicle, 03/14/13 More »
If there’s any label that has lost all meaning it must be “non-profit” hospital. Long gone are the days when hospitals were small institutions, focused on patient care, and run by local boards accountable to their local communities. Today, most “non-profit” hospitals are part of mega corporate chains, operated in secret by corporate executives whose dedication to the bottom line far exceeds their dwindling interest in community service. —Capitol Weekly, 03/12/13 More »
At a time of record corporate profits, U.S. "corporate tax dodgers" are parking more of their profits offshore, taking advantage of tax loopholes to shield billions from U.S. taxes, according to new analyses in the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. —Common Dreams, 03/11/13 More »
March 1, 2013 - Lawmakers in Minnesota and the District of Columbia are considering nurse staffing bills, with a goal of improved patient safety and quality of care. The legislation is based on research studies that have shown how a nurse’s workload impacts adverse events, patient satisfaction and other quality indicators. —NurseZone.com, 03/05/13 More »
The Michigan Nurses Association joined Democratic lawmakers Monday in their push to make Michigan the second state to mandate hospital staffing levels, but hospital officials expressed concern the requirement could backfire due to higher costs. —LSJ.com, 03/05/13 More »
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. —GoLocalWorcester, 02/25/13 More »
A state judge has temporarily halted plans to close the financially ailing Long Island College Hospital, giving a victory to hospital workers who say that its closing would be devastating to community health care. —The New York Times, 02/25/13 More »
The president’s State of the Union message may have sort of resolved the question: “Will he or won’t he touch Medicare? The answer: he probably will, a conclusion based on his cryptically grand rhetoric. The president called for those who care deeply about Medicare to “embrace the need for modest reforms—otherwise our retirement programs will crowd out the investments we need for our children.” Vague enough! —Columbia Journalism Review, 02/14/13 More »
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) plans to introduce such a bill Tuesday, he announced at a news conference Monday, where nearly 200 nurses wearing red scrubs packed a room in the John A. Wilson Building as union leaders and local politicians led them in chants of “patients over profit.” —The Washington Post, 02/04/13 More »
