News

Editorial: Attorney General Should OK Sale of Daughters of Charity Hospitals

The attorney general must decide by Feb. 20 whether to approve the sale of the Daughters of Charity hospitals to Prime Healthcare Services of Ontario (San Bernardino County). Harris could block the sale of nonprofit hospitals to a for-profit operator if she determined it would not be “in the public interest.”

San Francisco Chronicle

February 17, 2015

Study: Climate change leads to rapid emergence of infectious diseases

The appearance of infectious diseases in new places and new hosts, such as West Nile virus and Ebola, is a predictable result of climate change, says a noted zoologist affiliated with the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology at the Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Leslie Reed, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

February 17, 2015

Attorney general should OK sale of Daughters of Charity hospitals

State Attorney General Kamala Harris is about to make a decision that could have a profound impact on the availability of emergency health care in six California communities. It is a choice between two imperfect options. One would very likely result in the closure of six nonprofit hospitals. The other would be to allow those six hospitals, operated by the Daughters of Charity Health System of Los Altos Hills, to shift into the hands of a for-profit company known for rescuing failing hospitals through aggressive cost-cutting.

Editorial, SF Chronicle

February 14, 2015

Work with nurses to improve care

Nurses at Mount Desert Island Hospital have struggled since 2004 to make new technology a safe and effective tool to enhance patient care. But management has not taken the nurses seriously when they reported “near misses” with medications. Due to the nurses’ diligence, a new group of remote pharmacists have been employed, and so far, the mistake rate has declined.

Cokie Giles, RN, President of the Maine State Nurses Association / Mount Desert Islander

February 13, 2015

Busted! NLRB finds probable cause to believe Huntington Hospital engaged in unfair labor practices

Well, it’s finally happened. After months of denying that it was engaging in unlawful union busting, the management of Huntington Memorial Hospital (HMH) has itself been busted by the Los Angeles office of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

John Grula, Pasadena Weekly

February 12, 2015

Even 'Proper' Technique Exposes Nurses' Spines To Dangerous Forces

Scientists say nurses like Sunny Vespico are prime examples of what nursing schools and hospitals are doing wrong: They keep teaching nursing employees how to lift and move patients in ways that could inadvertently result in career-ending back injuries. Vespico, a registered nurse, was working the night shift in the intensive care unit at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia on March 31, 2012. At roughly 12:30 a.m., a large patient was having trouble breathing, so Vespico and a nursing assistant moved her to a special air bed designed for patients with respiratory problems. "Immediately I felt a pop in my back and pain down my leg," Vespico says. "As a nurse, and understanding the mechanics of the body, I knew that there was something very wrong."

Daniel Zwerdling, NPR

February 11, 2015

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner's War on Workers

Bruce Rauner's campaign for governor of Illinois hit a rough spot when it was revealed that he favored lowering the minimum wage. That's right, lowering. At a December, 2013, Republican campaign forum, the wealthy candidate declared that, "I will advocate moving the Illinois minimum wage back to the national minimum wage. I think we've got to be competitive here in Illinois. It's critical we're competitive. We're hurting our economy by having the minimum wage above the national. We've got to move back to the national."

John Nichols, The Nation

February 10, 2015

Right-to-Work Laws are Every Republican Union-Hater's Weapon of Choice

There are few crusades in American politics more quixotic than bashing unions. They are a threat that exists mostly in the imaginations of their opponents: an all-powerful, resurgent labor movement that scares investors and imperils the economy, despite representing just 11% of the US workforce. Right-to-work laws are their weapon of choice.

Michael Paarlberg, The Guardian

February 10, 2015

Senator Does Good But Must Pay Tribute

They covet office, and the prestige and power it provides. The opportunity to do good while doing well is one of the great privileges of public service. To win that privilege, however, politicians need money. Once elected, they get to make important, consequential decisions, but they must pay tribute to the interests that helped put them there.

Dan Morain, The Sacramento Bee

February 9, 2015

Gilroy Council Backs Hospital Daughters of Charity Sale

The Gilroy City Council this week joined a growing list of voices in support of the $843 million sale of Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, De Paul Medical Center in Morgan Hill and four others to Prime Healthcare, putting the city squarely in the middle of one of the region’s hottest issues.

Chris Foy, The Gilroy Dispatch

February 5, 2015