News

Orlando Health under investigation by national labor board

ORLANDO, FL—Nurses who have been telling Channel 9 for months that Orlando Health officials have been pulling them away from their patients in an attempt to stop their efforts to form a union said they have also been threatened by their bosses.

wftv.com 9

February 5, 2014

New study links fracking to birth defects in heavily drilled Colorado

Living near hydraulic fracturing — or fracking — sites may increase the risk of some birth defects by as much as 30 percent, a new study suggests. In the U.S., more than 15 million people now live within a mile of a well. The use of fracking, a gas-extraction process through which sand, water and chemicals are pumped into the ground to release trapped fuel deposits, has increased significantly in the U.S. over the past decade.

Aljazeera America

January 31, 2014

Nurse: I Was Fired for Speaking Out

Nearly a dozen nurses attended a vigil in front of Fallbrook Hospital to support Veronica Poss. Fallbrook Hospital nurse says she was fired as retaliation for participating in union activities. According to the California Nurses Association, Veronica Poss is one of two nurses fired this week by the hospital's owner, Community Health Systems (CHS.) This comes two weeks after she says she spoke out against a merger between CHS and Health Management Associates at a shareholder meeting in Florida.

NBC San Diego

January 31, 2014

The Great Pay Debate: 5 Hospital Executive Compensation Trends for 2014

In October, Harvard University researchers published a study in JAMA Internal Medicine, which looked at the compensation data of 1,877 CEOs at 2,681 private, nonprofit U.S. hospitals. Data came from the hospitals' 2009 Form 990s. The researchers found nonprofit hospital CEOs had a mean compensation of $595,781 and a median compensation of $404,938.

Becker's Hospital Review

January 29, 2014

Beating the burnout: Nurses struggle with physical, mental and emotional exhaustion at work

As educators, caretakers and lifelines, nurses take on several roles as they routinely care for patients day in and day out. And for some, the strains of the job can eventually lead to physical, mental and emotional exhaustion, otherwise known as burnout. “It's really stressful," Dawn Kettinger, spokeswoman for the Michigan Nurses Association, said. "You’re taking care of six people when you should take care of four."

Holland Sentinel

January 27, 2014

Injunction issued against Ohio CHS hospital in labor negotiations

A U.S. District Court judge has issued a cease and desist injunction requiring an Ohio hospital owned by Community Health Systems to to negotiate with its registered nurses, according to a release from nurses' union National Nurses United. Last June, National Labor Relations Board Administrative Law judge Arthur Lachman issued a similar ruling, the release says. According to the release, this is the third such ruling against CHS affiliates related to federal labor law violations.

Nashville Business Journal

January 24, 2014

Chandler mom, nurse jumps at chance to help after disasters

In her everyday life, Lori Barmore is a trauma-room nurse at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix. When she isn’t working her 12-hour shifts helping shooting, stabbing and accident victims, she is a Chandler wife and mom. She also helps Third World countries after disasters. Since 2010, she also has volunteered in Haiti and Guatemala. When RN Response Network, a unit of National Nurses United, contacted her after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines on Nov. 20, she did not hesitate to go.

AZCentral.com

January 24, 2014

Nurses picket for new contract: Next negotiation session is Friday

Nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association, Regina Hospital and metro area hospitals held an informational picket outside the hospital Tuesday afternoon. The nurses’ union has been attempting to negotiate a new employment contract with Regina’s new owner, Allina Health, for several months. Eight bargaining sessions have already taken place; a ninth is scheduled for Jan. 24. The most recent contract expired Dec. 31.

Hastings Star Gazette

January 23, 2014

Study puts Hernando hospitals among worst for inflating prices

TAMPA BAY--Those of you who don't think Hernando County has much of a national profile should know about a new report on hospital pricing from the country's largest nursing organization. Based on information hospitals submit to the federal government, the study shows that two of the 10 most overpriced hospitals in the United States are right here in Hernando — Bayfront Health Brooksville, formerly Brooksville Regional Hospital, at No. 7, and Oak Hill Hospital, which ranked 10th.

Tampa Bay Times

January 17, 2014

Family of flu victim, 23, devastated

Relatives wonder if steps were missed in treatment of SR man’s H1N1 virus. The family of a 23-year-old Santa Rosa man who died last week after he contracted the H1N1 flu virus expressed concern Saturday that his illness was not recognized in time to possibly save his life. Matthew “Matty” Walker was admitted to Kaiser Permanente’s hospital in Santa Rosa on Dec. 27 after he called 911 to report he was having trouble breathing. He had been sent home from the hospital the day before after being seen in the emergency room and diagnosed with pneumonia.

Santa Rosa Press Democrat

January 13, 2014