RNs, Caregivers Blast Priorities at Palomar Health District
Registered Nurses and other caregivers have taken a vote of “no confidence†in the management of the Palomar and Pomerado hospitals and are calling on the Palomar Health District to act immediately to change course from a path of closures and cuts while giving huge cash and contract awards to chief executive officer Michael Covert and other executives. In just concluded voting by 1,345 hospital employees, 94 percent of Palomar Health RNs and ancillary workers said they have no confidence or trust in the district’s executive leadership, 96 percent said the district had exhibited poor fiscal responsibility, 95 percent said the executive leadership had failed to share the financial pain inflicted on other employees, and 90 percent pledged to take a more active role in fighting to save the district “for our patients, our community and our families.â€
California Nurses Association
Jul 18, 2013
How Climate Change is Fueling a Rise in Deadly Diseases
In the summer of 2012, the mosquito-borne West Nile virus made a surprising comeback in America. In Dallas, the most affected region, 400 people contracted the disease and 19 of them died. That came as a shock to public health officials, since West Nile virus was thought to be in such precipitous decline that it was practically eradicated.
Nation of Change
Berkeley council wants Alta Bates charity care numbers
BERKELEY -- Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, a nonprofit corporation, is exempt from millions of dollars in property, income and sales taxes. In exchange, the hospital is obligated to provide benefits to the community. But at its July 16 meeting, the City Council expressed frustration at not knowing precisely what those benefits are. How much of the community benefits reported by the hospital goes to charity care, and how much of that is targeted to low-income Berkeley residents, council members asked. "Community benefits can be anything they decide," Dan Johnston, a researcher with the Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy, the research arm of the California Nurses Association, told to the council.
Inside Bay Area
Berkeley City Council Endorses Call to Hold Sutter Alta Bates Accountable on Charity Care
City’s Second Largest Employer a Tax Drain on Community. The Berkeley, CA. City Council Tuesday night voted nearly unanimously to call on the city’s second largest employer, Sutter’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center to fulfill its charity care obligation in exchange for the substantial public financing they receive through their tax exempt status. Alta Bates Summit with two campuses in Berkeley, is seen as a prime example of a hospital that receives government subsidies as a result of its tax-exempt status that are far beyond what it provides in charity care – a growing problem throughout California.
California Nurses Association
Jul 17, 2013
MedStar must negotiate big benefits changes with nurses union, judge rules
A federal judge dealt a blow to MedStar Health's goal to provide more in-house medical care for its employees, siding with a labor union that objected to hikes to workers' out-of-pocket expenses when they seek treatment elsewhere.
Washington Business Journal
Air pollution linked to higher risk of lung cancer and heart failure
Two studies show effects on health of long- and short-term exposure to pollutants from traffic and industry. Air pollution, chiefly from traffic exhaust fumes in cities, is having a serious and sometimes fatal effect on health, according to two studies that link it to lung cancer and heart failure.
The Guardian
Marquette RNs speak out for Medicaid expansion
MARQUETTE – Registered nurses from the Michigan Nurses Association shared their concerns for the health and wellbeing of Michigan citizens in front of the Old City Hall today. The nurses held signs that showed the number of uninsured in several Upper Peninsula counties that would be eligible for medical coverage once the Medicaid expansion bill passes.
Michigan Nurses Association
Jul 16, 2013
Federal Judge Rules MedStar Washington Hospital Center Unlawfully Reduced Nurses’ Health Benefits
WASHINGTON, DC-- National Nurses United (NNU) today applauded a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon that MedStar Washington Hospital Center violated its nurses’ collective bargaining agreement when it unlawfully and unilaterally instituted sweeping reductions in the nurses’ health benefits.
National Nurses United
Jul 16, 2013
It's Official, St. Luke’s Hospital Rebuilding Will Begin
RNs from the California Nurses Association attended Mayor Ed Lee's signing ceremony approving the plan to rebuild St. Luke’s Hospital and build a new hospital on Cathedral Hill. This victory came after nurses and community members spent years fighting to keep St. Luke's open for medically underserved residents.
California Nurses Association
THIS WEEK IN AMERICA: July 11, 2013
A weekly report by National Nurses United on the pulse of Almeria. The American jobs disaster. Low U.S. Wages Spell Demise. Not Much Equality in New Mexico. Half of poor African-American children live in neighborhoods with concentrated poverty. Golden Parachutes Are Still Very Much in Style.
National Nurses United