Minnesota Nursing Accent Fall 2021

MINNESOTA NURSING Accent FALL 2021 | Volume 93 No. 3

Nurses still fighting — for their lives, their patients, and their hospitals

In this issue • “Power of the collective bargaining unit benefits all nurses”: Fairview Southdale Nurses win staffing victory - page 2 • New OSHA COVID-19 rules give nurses important rights to protect themselves • Nurses say ‘yes to invest’-–page page85

In this issue

• 2020 Concern for Safe Staffing • Take your advocacy to a new level: Data Report page 10 run for office - page 17 • Where do you dues go?– page 18-22

2

minnesota nursing accent

Feature Story “Power of the collective bargaining unit benefits all nurses”: Fairview Southdale Nurses win staffing victory

Minnesota Nursing Accent

M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital nurses are celebrating a staffing victory. After months of pushing back, saying no, and filing Concern for Safe Staffing forms, the employer finally heard the message: One nurse to six patients is not possible!

“It’s a long time coming,” said Southdale MNA Chair Ericka Helling, RN. “What we have here is not sustainable. There’s a chronic nursing assistant shortage. Nurses were working in assistant roles and were expected to cover those, and those grids were not sustainable.”

Last fall, Fairview forced grid changes on nurses that created unsafe conditions where nurses were managing six patients at a time at certain census points. “We told stories about how that was untenable and unsafe,” Helling continued, “There were lots of tears. They care about their practice. We went through mediation and had a petition go through the house. More than 900 nurses signed.”

Nurses gave the signatures to the employer and again, nothing happened. Then nurses notified the employer of an informational picket. “We had a couple of legislators come to the picket line who had conversations with nurses,” said Helling, “And again, the employer moved forward with the grid changes.”

In addition to signing a petition and holding an informational picket, nurses also wore stickers and shared emotional patient stories of unsafe events with state representatives and senators, the news media, and the public. Nurses throughout Fairview Southdale also filled out, “untenable amounts of Concern for Safe Staffing forms,” Helling added.

“Finally, the message was received,” Helling continued, “Nurses are done risking their licensure. They’re emotionally sick. They’re done. Finally they recognized those grids don’t work.”

While Fairview Southdale nurses consider this a big win, “it’s a win where people are exhausted in the middle of a pandemic,” she shares, “We’re not asking for it to be easy, we’re asking for it to be safe. It shouldn’t be so hard that you’re breaking yourself and you’re in tears.”

In the end, the many concerted, collective efforts by MNA nurses made the difference. The employer agreed to return three stations that had been previously taken away and returned Observation to a 5:1 ratio for patient care on the night shift.

“Your efforts made the difference. Your voices created change, and a positive outcome is the reward for the effort,” Fairview Southdale MNA Chairs said to their fellow nurses in a letter announcing the victory, “Nurses unite and transformation happens.

The power of the collective bargaining unit benefits all nurses.”

“Anything that’s good isn’t easy to win,” Helling added. Attributing the win to “collective bargaining, sticking it out and going to bat for one another,” she shared one last piece of advice to all nurses: “Keep your eye on the prize and never ever stop. And that’s exactly what we did.”

Minnesota Nurses Association 345 Randolph Avenue, Ste. 200 Saint Paul, MN 55102 651-414-2800/800-536-4662

FALL 2021 PUBLISHER Rose Roach MANAGING EDITORS Lauren C. Nielsen Chris Reinke BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mary Turner, President Chris Rubesch, 1st Vice President Doreen McIntyre, 2nd Vice President Jennifer Michelson, Secretary Sandie Anderson, Treasurer Directors Laurie Bahr, RN Angela Becchetti, RN Daniel Clute, RN Heather Jax, RN Susan Kreitz, RN Lynnetta Muehlhauser, RN Stella Obadiya, RN Gail Olson, RN Rui Pina, RN Judy Russell-Martin, RN Angela Schroeder Malone, RN Wendy Wahl, RN Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:15 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Subscriptions Published: March, June, September, January Opinions

All opinions submitted are subject to the approval of the publisher, who reserves the right to refuse any advertising content which does not meet standards of acceptance of the Minnesota Nurses Association.

Minnesota Nursing Accent (ISSN 0026-5586) is published four times annually by the

Minnesota Nurses Association

345 Randolph Avenue, Ste. 200, Saint Paul, MN 55102.

Periodicals Postage paid at Saint Paul, MN and additional mailing offices. Postmaster, please send address changes to: Minnesota Nurses Association 345 Randolph Avenue, Ste. 200 Saint Paul, MN 55102.

3

minnesota nursing accent

Editorial Column

— Carrie Mortrud, RN, MNA Nurse Staffing Specialist

It’s time to demand.

SATISFYING EMPOWERING SAFE MEANINGFUL RECOGNITION SKILLED COMMUNICATION Do these words describe your unit or work environment?

They should. These are just a few buzzwords used to describe a healthy work environment. When’s the last time you left your shift feeling satisfied, safe, or truly recognized for the job you did and the care you gave? I’m guessing it’s been a while.

Nurses are always fighting for patients. Your professional education is founded on patient advocacy. Advocating for more or different pain medication. Advocating for patients to have more discussion and education on a scheduled procedure. Advocating for an additional day as an inpatient or for assistance at home because discharges happen so quickly these days. Union nurses expand on that advocacy and fight for health and safety measures, comparable and competitive wages, and safe staffing in hopes of creating a healthy work environment. A healthy work environment for nurses is proven to create better patient outcomes (DOI: 10.1016/j. ijnss.2018.04.010).

When nurses fight for workplace rights, it protects patients. Is it easy? No. Is it necessary? YES! For perspective, it’s good to look back and see what we’ve accomplished, what we are fighting right now and what is headed our way. Looking back, nurses’ paychecks were docked if they broke a thermometer—until union nurses fought together to eliminate that ludicrous practice. Women who became pregnant had to resign and get rehired, losing their seniority and benefit hours accrued. Can you believe that?

What nurses are fighting now is overwhelming and unwinnable alone. How many times in this past year have you had a shift that was short staffed? Failure to rescue—becoming a norm rather than a rare event? How many times have you been forced to quarantine or use compromised Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)? How many times have you heard about another hospital or clinic closing even though demand is at an all-time high? And how many times have you or a co-worker been assaulted physically or verbally while just doing your job, trying to deliver safe, quality, and therapeutic patient care? Fighting this epidemic of deplorable working conditions alone might seem incomprehensible, but together, as an organized group of professionals armed with real life experience and data, change is possible.

Because there is no crystal ball, one can only speculate on what might be coming, what other erosions to professional

nursing are just down the hall. It’s safe to say attempts to pull nurses farther away from direct patient care are certain. Truncated training and increased throughput of patients; pressure to work more efficiently which most often results in cutting corners and risking increased errors; attacks to benefits and less than attractive wage proposals—together these can be discontinued, eliminated, or re-written to increase patient safety AND create healthy work environments. Together as a profession, nurses can create what nursing looks like.

While you fight every day for your lives and livelihoods and your patients, your employers are proposing more cuts to staffing, more facility closures, and more zeroes at the bargaining table. And at the same time, you see the headlines of hospitals turning a profit and CEOs continuing to make millions.

This past year has demonstrated the necessity and obligation to re-write the nursing order for activism. Starting now it is no longer a PRN order but rather a scheduled order. No more “when I feel like it,” or “if I have time”.

Nurses have learned this past year that if you don’t have a seat at the table, you are either being served as dinner or you are out back fighting for scraps of leftovers like stray dogs.

Having to re-use PPE for multiple hours, multiple shifts, multiple days and yes even weeks, when just two years ago you would have been investigated and possibly disciplined for doing such a thing. The lows that the hospitals and healthcare system(s) have sunk to, risking your and your patient’s safety— all because they were unprepared—demonstrates this so well.

Decisions about you, your safety and your work will be made without you. You must claim your place in nursing’s future.

As union nurses, there are many tools and resources at the ready to prepare for the fights ahead. File Concern for Safe Staffing (CFSS) forms when short staffing has impacted patient safety, after putting management on notice by calling up the chain of command, ALL the way up. Don’t stop with the first call if it does not resolve the serious unsafe situation, especially when comments like these are the response: “Don’t shoot the messenger, there isn’t anyone”, “Okay”, and “We’ve called everyone”. Who believes they actually called everyone? You’ve certainly had that follow up conversation with a co-worker who said, “I would have come in. No one called me.” Follow up by documenting with the CFSS form. Request this data for meetings with management and hold them accountable to working with you to resolve future unsafe staffing situations. If administration is unresponsive, your ethics guide and direct that you may need to bring the serious concern to an authoritative body such as an accrediting or quality It’s time to demand cont. on page 5

4

minnesota nursing accent

President’s Column Using our collective voice for change My work on President Biden’s Health Equity Task Force continues, and I’d like to share a little more with you about the work I’ve been doing. The task force is tasked with making recommendations to mitigate health inequities caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Four subcommittees have been meeting since March: Communications & Collaboration; Data, Analytics and Research; Structural Drivers & Xenophobia; and Health Access & Quality. I serve on two of these committees that meet weekly, the Health Access & Quality Committee and the Structural Drivers & Xenophobia committee.

Each month, the committees address a different topic and vote on interim recommendations at a public meeting. The topics have included: • Vaccine Access & Acceptance • Mental & Behavioral Health • Discrimination & Xenophobia • Long COVID-19 • Future Pandemic Preparedness We’ve added many good proposals for nurses and patients to the recommendations, and I’ve spent a lot of time behind-the-scenes organizing other members of the task force to support our positions. Telling nurses’ stories from the frontlines has been crucial for our successes. On the flip side, this is a site of class struggle. The influence of hospital CEOs and others who want to restructure healthcare is very strong on the task force.

Without our voice, the recommendations from this task force would have likely included: • Deskilling of frontline care • Breaching scope of practice to enable unlicensed community health workers and others to deliver care • Major increases in telehealth funding • Interstate license portability to allow healthcare workers to practice across state lines (which is a classic union busting tactic) I’ve also experienced many efforts to silence me and block nurses’ collective voice. I’ve faced backroom pressure to change my positions and ‘get in line’ with a more conservative agenda. I learned that other nursing groups, including the American Nurses Association, American Association of Colleges of Nursing and others want to influence the Biden Administration to expand nurse compacts and telehealth. I’ve struggled against efforts to third-party the union, like when a federal staff person called me to tell me that I, a union president, should not let myself be pushed around by the union.

Through this all, we have persisted, and we’ve added important recommendations, which we’ll make a final vote on at the end of September. Remember nurses, our voices matter, and when we use our collective voice, we make change.

MNA Visions, Values, and Strategic Pathways for 2021 MNA Mission Statement 1. Promote the professional, economic, and personal well-being of nurses.

2. Uphold and advance excellence, integrity, and autonomy in the practice of nursing.

3. Advocate for quality care that is accessible and affordable for all.

MNA Purpose The purpose of the Minnesota Nurses Association, a union of professional nurses with unrestricted RN membership, shall be to advance the professional, economic, and general well-being of nurses and to promote the health and well-being of the public. These purposes shall be unrestricted by considerations of age, color, creed, disability, gender, gender identity, health status, lifestyle, nationality, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

MNA Vision and Values MNA is a positive, powerful union of professional direct patient care nurses that advances nursing practice, effective, safe staffing and working conditions, patient interests and works to build a healthy community, empowered profession, and fair and just society along the principles of the Main Street Contract: • Jobs at living wages • Guaranteed healthcare • A secure retirement • Equal access to quality education • A safe and clean environment • Good housing • Protection from hunger • Human rights for all • An end to discrimination • A just taxation system where corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share In practice, this means: 1. MNA empowers registered nurses to use their collective strength, knowledge, and experience to advance and enhance safe and professional nursing practice, nursing leadership, and the community health and well-being.

2. MNA promotes effective RN staffing and safe working conditions for both patients and registered nurses in direct patient care, in policy and political arenas, and in our communities.

3. MNA builds its power as a union of professional nurses by increasing its membership and exercises that power through effective internal and external organizing, and member participation, activism, education, and mobilization.

4. MNA actively promotes social, economic and racial justice and the health, security, and well-being of all in its organiza tional programs and collaborations with partner organizations.

5. MNA works in solidarity with the National Nurses United and the AFL-CIO to build a worker movement that promotes the rights of patients, nurses, and workers across the United States.

Strategic Pathways MNA will achieve its vision through six key strategic pathways.

• Strengthen the integrity of nursing practice, nursing practice environments, and safe patient staffing standards and principles.

• Oppose any attacks on nursing practice and workers’ rights, including any attempts of deskilling the professional nurse’s scope of practice and right-to-work legislation.

• Collectively bargain from strength across the upper Midwest • Organize externally and internally to increase MNA membership and continue to increase solidarity and participation of membership locally, regionally, and nationally.

• Elect politicians who will implement nurse/worker-friendly public policy, including safe staffing and a healthcare system that includes everyone and excludes no one.

• Work in solidarity with the NNU and AFL-CIO and other community allies to advance nursing, health care and worker justice issues.

5

minnesota nursing accent

Power in numbers! Pipestone nurses speak up and build community support around facility concerns

By Lisa Sneller, RN

On August 28, we did something unprecedented. Pipestone County Medical Center (PCMC) nurses unified and took a stand against our hospital’s CEO by presenting at the Pipestone County Board of Commissioners meeting.

Nearly 20 of us showed up and spoke out, with Lacey Thomson, RN, representing all of us in her testimony.

Some of the items we brought to the Commissioners’ attention included: the lack of communication by the hospital administration to staff and patients surrounding Dr. Scott’s termination, the difficulty applicants are having when applying for vacant positions, the continual short staffing and ‘do more with less’ attitude, and the overall unhealthy culture inside of PCMC. The community response has been nothing short of fantastic! They showed up and spoke out too. They also hit social media and have been buzzing about their experiences at PCMC. The consistent message is that the frontline care is great, but the overall general operation of the facility is difficult and messy. Examples range from calling in to schedule an appointment to showing up and being sent to the ER and of course, showing up to OB/Gyn and not seeing the provider that they were scheduled to see.

Next, we will plan ways to stay in the forefront of the Commissioners’ minds. We will continue to go to County Board meetings and hospital board meetings. We will stay present on social media. And we will continue to talk because, even in this technology-savvy world, good old conversation still works!

It’s time to demand from page 3

assurance body. MNA staff will assist with this step to provide the greatest protection afforded to you as a union nurse.

Elected officials who are responsible to write and enforce laws which protect their constituents, and their communities, can work with you to make necessary changes.

Your patients, your communities and your families are counting on you to do what’s necessary to care for yourself and one another to survive the severity of this decompensating system you work in every day.

Share your stories and experiences with one another and your communities. And most importantly, stand together by participating in actions, signing petitions, walking the picket line, and getting involved in contract negotiations. Be ready for the fights ahead and prepare for what’s to come, and believe in the power and strength that comes from collective action.

“Power concedes nothing without a demand.” Frederick Douglass Nurses, it’s time to demand.

6

minnesota nursing accent

Bargaining and collective action update COLLECTIVE ACTION Hennepin Health Forensic nurses join the MNA union family

About a year and a half ago, Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) nurses in the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program at Hennepin Health (HHS) had an initial conversation with MNA, expressing frustration regarding their program and their feelings of not having a voice in their workplace.

All four current FTE nurses (including three forensic examiners and one forensic program coordinator) signed applications for MNA membership. After the nurses signed applications, the Hennepin Health Board of Directors, as well as the Hennepin County Board, passed resolutions in support of organizing neutrality and card check agreements.

The unit chairs, new nurses, and MNA Labor Relations Specialist (LRS) John Ewaldt began the process of negotiating these nurses into the unit. Many of their programs’ practices were not aligned with the existing collective bargaining agreement, but after eight months of negotiating, nurses achieved a tentative agreement and signed the memoranda of agreement effective July 4, 2021.

These nurses all received wage increases, will get double time for shifts over 12 hours, and will benefit from many additional protections of our collective bargaining agreement. As of early July, the nurses and their MNA LRS already requested their first official meet and confer with the employer, giving the forensic nurses an opportunity to address their concerns with the employer and to share ideas on how to improve the program.

HHS is MNA’s biggest public and right-to-work facility.

Nurses are winning!

Pediatric Nurses Picket Children’s Hospitals Over Patient Care Concerns

MNA nurses picketed outside of Children’s Hospitals Minneapolis and Saint Paul campuses on June 8 to fight for adequate staffing and enough beds for pediatric patients.

Prior to filing notice for the picket, MNA nurses had been meeting with Children’s management over several months since the corporation launched a downsizing of its Saint Paul hospital and a redesign for the Minneapolis campus. Since

then, nurses at both hospitals have been let go and some services have been shifted to Minneapolis. The situation has left both hospital campuses critically short-staffed and without enough beds to admit patients.

“Children’s is taking away services from the sickest kids served in the Saint Paul hospital while placing more of a burden on the already strapped resources of the Minneapolis campus,” said Tricia Ryshkus, Registered Nurse at Children’s Minneapolis. “And now what’s happening is kids are waiting for care and it’s increasing health inequities for all of these kids.”

Hundreds of nurses walked the picket lines outside both Children’s hospital campuses, asking for safe staffing and for a voice in decisions that affect the quality of care provided to their patients.

“The kids are sicker and need more care,” said Sydney Pederson, RN at Children’s Saint Paul.

“Our patients need access to the care they need when they need it, regardless of where they live.”

Minnesota State Senator Erin Murphy, RN (DFL-Saint Paul) showed up to the Saint Paul Children’s Hospital picket line in support of the nurses. “[Nurses] are learning more about the hospital’s plans to restructure care in this facility. They’re learning that beds are closing and services are moving over to the hospital in Minneapolis,” she shared, “[They] don’t have a voice in this change and they’re concerned about what it means for the well-being of their patients and the care that they’re provided. I’m standing here with the nurses today because I trust them, I trust what they know about providing care for patients, especially for our kids.”

Along the picket line, nurses hung 40 sets of hospital scrubs, representing the nurses who were laid off or furloughed in the last year. Nurses also placed photos of 26 empty hospitals beds along the sidewalk to represent the hospital’s lost capacity for serving patients in the Saint Paul community.

“Children’s is taking away services from the sickest kids served in the Saint Paul hospital while placing more of a burden on the already strapped resources of the Minneapolis campus.”

7

minnesota nursing accent

Heroes to Zeroes: WestHealth nurses leaflet and picket over contract

DID YOU KNOW? A Concern for Safe Staffing Form:

DOCUMENTS UNSAFE STAFFING

Including the numbers of nurses, number of support staff, skill mix and training of staff.

CFSS forms also track management’s response to your notice saying staffing is unsafe.

TRACKS AND IDENTIFIES TRENDS Nurses held an informational picket outside of Allina’s WestHealth campus in Plymouth, Minnesota, on Tuesday, August 3. MNA nurses entered into negotiations in good faith and have been negotiating a new contract with Allina for months, but Allina management has refused to provide the benefits nurses proposed to settle the labor contract.

WestHealth nurses are asking for wages and benefits that keep up with the rising cost of living, respect their work, and encourage the recruitment of new nurses, which the hospital needs. Instead of choosing to honor nurses for their dedication through the COVID-19 crisis and ensure that they can recruit and retain nurses, Allina has chosen to say no to these benefit proposals and has offered zero counter proposals for three negotiation sessions.

WestHealth nurses distributed more than 400 leaflets to the public in early July to inform the community of Allina’s refusal to negotiate a fair contract regarding the nurses’ terms and conditions of employment.

Sonya Worner, a Registered Nurse at WestHealth said, “WestHealth nursing staff stayed the course during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in its wake, Allina is refusing to make the necessary movement toward a fair contract. Allina admitted that it is not because they don’t have the money to fund the minor benefit increases we are asking for, but stated that our contract is ‘good enough.’ The public has treated us as heroes. Allina Health is now treating us as zeroes.”

In threats to patient safety that RNs have reported as a result of unsafe staffing situations.

ISOLATES / DETECTS TRENDS

CFSS forms identify trends for you and your local union leadership to use when negotiating or discussing unsafe staffing with hospital management.

DOCUMENTS YOUR ACTIONS

CFSS forms record the actions you took to advocate for your patient(s) and can be used at a later date as documentation to defend you, should a negative outcome occur.

Concern for Safe Staffing forms can be submitted at any time.

Remember—the sooner a CFSS form is submitted, the more useful it can be.

Read more & view the form mnnurses.org/concern-for-safe-staffing

8

minnesota nursing accent

Health and Safety Committee

By John Welsh, RN, MNA Health and Safety Committee member

New OSHA COVID-19 rules give nurses important rights to protect themselves This summer, the Biden Administration issued new workplace safety rules regarding COVID-19 that we believe give nurses important rights to protect themselves as the pandemic continues.

While the COVID-19 vaccine and increased supply of Personal Protective Equipment have dramatically improved nurse safety compared to last year, COVID-19 remains dangerous, and healthcare workers remain vulnerable. These new rules are essential to hold employers accountable for worker safety.

Technically, what the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration did was determine that employee exposure to COVID-19 presents a grave danger to workers in healthcare settings and issued Emergency Temporary Standards to address the issue. The document covers 900 pages. New requirements include: • All healthcare employers must have written infection control safety and implementation plans developed in consultation with non-management employees and their representatives.

• Implementing lifesaving respiratory protection against aerosol transmission of the virus for nurses and other frontline healthcare workers caring for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.

• Mandating wearing masks, screenings, physical distancing, and barriers in the workplace. However, fully vaccinated healthcare workers don’t have to wear masks or adhere to distancing requirements if they are in “well-defined areas where all employees are fully vaccinated.”

• Employers are to send home any employee who tests positive for COVID-19, is suspected of being infected, or is symptomatic for defined periods of time.

When that happens, healthcare employers with more than ten people on staff must continue paying workers who can’t operate remotely their normal salary up to $1,400 a week for the first two weeks they are absent.

However, the exact amount may vary if workers are sick for a longer period.

Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) and National Nurses United (NNU) leaders have welcomed these new standards.

As of June, NNU reports that more than 400 RNs have died of COVID-19. In Minnesota, there have been 600,000 cases of

COVID-19. More than seven percent of them were healthcare workers. This is the first time OSHA has used emergency temporary standards in nearly 40 years, and they did so despite opposition from hospitals. Union leaders believe these standards will become an important benchmark for protecting healthcare workers from infectious disease.

“This is a major victory for those who have worked so hard to achieve this recognition of the terrible toll on nurses and other healthcare workers, against the malfeasance and resistance of employers and many elected officials,” said NNU Executive Director Bonnie Castillo, RN in an announcement of the new standards.

A year ago, we nurses were forced to re-use N-95 masks during multiple shifts. Fortunately, that is no longer the case.

But one lesson from this pandemic is that we cannot trust our employers to put employee or patient safety over budget concerns. These new OSHA rules give nurses increased powers to challenge employers regarding unsafe practices. If you think your employer is not taking the necessary steps to protect you from COVID-19, contact your MNA leaders and consider filing a complaint through OSHA. To learn more about the new standards, visit osha.gov/ coronavirus/ets. For those reading the Accent online, click here for a summary of the new standards.

John Welsh, RN, is a nurse at Unity Hospital in Fridley and an MNA Health and Safety Committee member. He can be reached at welsc027@umn.edu How to file a complaint in different states To file an OSHA complaint in: Minnesota: request more information at osha.compliance@state.mn.us or 1-877-470-6742.

Iowa: call 515-725-5660 or email at oshacomplaints@iwd. iowa.gov Wisconsin or North Dakota: call 1-800-321-6742 or visit https://www.osha.gov/pls/osha7/eComplaintForm.html

9

minnesota nursing accent

Governmental Affairs Commission

By Rebekah Nelson, RN, CCRN, CPAN at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and MNA Governmental Affairs Commissioner

MNA nurses help direct legislative change and improve workers’ lives This legislative session, the Minnesota Nurses Association played a significant role in supporting legislation that supports healthcare workers serving in the pandemic, the Essential Workers Emergency Leave Act (EWELA). In a nutshell, this legislation would have provided retroactive paid leave for workers that were required to quarantine due to COVID-19 or a vaccine-related issue, needed to care for a family member with COVID-19, or cared for a child whose daycare or school was closed. In line with the priorities and goals of EWELA, lawmakers passed legislation to develop a $250 million fund for frontline, essential workers.

It is incredibly exciting and an amazing accomplishment for MNA to be able to see this legislation’s progress from start to finish. The process started in the fall of 2020, when the first version of an emergency leave bill was introduced in a special session in the House. After several revisions, expansions, and collaboration with other labor unions, Representative Cedrick Frazier (DFL-New Hope) officially introduced HF41 on January 11, 2021, with the Senate version being introduced

by Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul) a few weeks later. MNA heavily contributed to these bills, and in February, MNA members, leadership, and staff began meeting with legislators, including Governor Walz, asking them to support the bill.

Throughout the summer, legislators have been working on how to best move forward with the $250M fund. A working group is meeting at the Minnesota State Capitol, where legislators have been hearing nurses’ and other workers’ needs and perspectives on pay during the pandemic. Several MNA nurses have testified in front of the Minnesota Frontline Worker Pay Working Group. You can view past testimony here or by going to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXtg790O_mc.

MNA, along with fellow union allies, will continue to fight for support for essential workers at the Capitol.

This entire process speaks to how unions like ours can directly affect legislation and change workers’ lives for the better. I do not work in a specialty area that directly cares for folks that are ill with COVID-19, but as a hospital employee, I do carry a significant level of risk and will periodically come into contact with patients that are positive for COVID-19. Early in the pandemic when there was a testing shortage, my department would see surgery patients that were required to test beforehand, but the test result was two weeks old because

we could not get results returned any faster than that at the time. This meant that we were seeing untested patients in the middle of a pandemic. We now know that we need a negative test result within a few days to have confidence that a patient is not infected with COVID-19. I am sure that during this time, I had multiple unknown exposures, and later that fall, I had a high-risk exposure with a symptomatic COVID-19 patient that needed to be seen for an emergency surgery.

The entire pandemic year was full of getting myself and my children tested, and quarantines/sick days for any little sniffle that I or my children had. I was in a situation where I was out of sick leave, more than once, and although my employer paid for my personal quarantines (at the time), they did not pay my salary when I had to keep my children home from school.

Since the COVID-19 vaccines have been rolled out, my employer has stopped the paid COVID-19 leave program unless you can prove a work exposure, which may affect me negatively in the future.

The disbursement of the $250 million Frontline Worker Fund is a good start in recognizing the sacrifices made by nurses and other frontline workers. As the Working Group responsible for deciding how to disburse the funds continues their work, frontline workers are continuing to make their voices heard. This fund could directly benefit me, my family, and so many other frontline workers and their families who had to quarantine or go without pay to keep their communities safe.

Almost every RN I know is in the same situation. To date, I have been fortunate to have not contracted COVID-19, but to those nurses who did and needed extended periods of time off work, the Frontline Worker Fund would start to repay them for the sacrifices they made. And while the $250 million Fund is a good start, it is just that, a start. Frontline workers will continue to uplift each other and stand together to ensure that every worker who sacrificed will get paid back for the sacrifices they’ve made.

Every MNA RN can advocate for their own needs and their patients’ needs through MNA’s legislative program. Contact our political organizers Cameron Fure, cameron.fure@mnnurses.org, and Zach Sias, zach.sias@mnnurses.org, if you would like to get involved. There are regular opportunities to contact your own elected representatives, attend events, and even testify at legislative hearings at the Capitol.

10

minnesota nursing accent

Nurse Practice and Education 2020 Concern For Safe Staffing Year-End Data Report

For more than 20 years, nurses of the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) have been collecting information on how short staffing impacts patient care and patient safety. Evidence-based studies demonstrate that it is critical to have adequate staffing because it results in better patient outcomes (Dixon, 2021). Studies show that the number of patients a nurse has at one time affects their ability to safely care for patients and ultimately advance their plan of care through to discharge. Nurses are perplexed that hospital management continues to ignore their calls for staffing, despite knowing that hospitals are frequently cited for staffing deficiencies when CMS conducts an audit.

Clearly, 2020 presented challenges with registered nurse staffing like never before: • Patients were more acute.

• Patients presented with high acuity symptoms no one knew how to treat.

• Delivery of care changed every single day.

• Management often refused to help.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Board of Nursing expects registered nurses to continue to deliver safe, ethical, and therapeutic care.

MNA nurses cannot be expected to continue to fight a pandemic in a hospital system that doesn’t provide resources for them. Patients have a right to expect safe care and that hospitals will fulfill their commitments to provide safe, quality care to their communities. Most critically, hospitals must provide enough resources, including enough trained registered nurses every minute of every day to deliver critical nursing care. Patients deserve no less.

CFSS Form Evolution Timeline 1990’s Concern for Safe Staffing (CFSS) form was created to collect unsafe staffing data related to the nurses’ work environment 2010 Data was amended to gather more patient centered data and an electronic version of the CFSS form was created 2014 Data points were added regarding substandard care, like delayed care, missed patient care, and use of last minute solutions 2015 MNA began categorizing the data collected by CFSS forms to enhance our analysis of unsafe staffing 2019 Data points were added regarding violence in the workplace and homecare nurse specifics

3769 CFSS forms were submitted in 2020, marking a 8.67 percent increase from 2019 and producing the following important data: • 657 reports of nurses refusing patient assignments to rectify a short staffing situation • 2649 incidents were reported where care or treatments were delayed by short staffing • 2162 accounts of staffing issues causing a delay in call lights being answered • 2859 occurrences of unresponsive management • 337 instances of patients being rushed through discharge or given incomplete teaching

11

minnesota nursing accent

Category of Safe Staffing Concern

Delays in care or treatments or incomplete assessments Delay in medications Inability to answer call lights Incomplete discharge or rushed teaching Management response - NONE or inappropriate Temporary solution - closed unit Short staffed >25% of what is needed Patient left without being seen or against medical advice Temporary solution - refused the assignment Unqualified staff - wrong skill mix Total CFSS Forms Submitted*

2019 2020 % Change 2019 to 2020 2264 1569 1736 355 2499 482 393 386 553 616 3469

2649 1965 2162 337 2859 610 663 371 657 667 3769

17% 25% 25% -5% 14% 27% 69% -4% 19% 8%

*Several CFSS forms cited multiple categories of staffing concerns, causing the total number of forms submitted to be fewer than the combined total of concerns raised by nurses within the reports.

Please contact Carrie Mortrud, RN, Nurse Staffing Specialist, with any questions at (651) 252-5451 or carrie.mortrud@mnnurses.org Nursing in Minnesota in 2020 and even into 2021 will leave scars on our nurses for years to come. The anguish that nurses feel when they cannot treat and care for patients is causing moral distress, a phenomenon which occurs when nurses find themselves experiencing failure to rescue and realize they are unintentionally causing harm because they do not have the resources to treat the patients in their care.

Nurses work in an environment that is disrespectful and demanding, physically dangerous and emotionally taxing, and unforgiving in its expectations from administrators and regulators who have zero interest in reversing irresponsible and reckless implementation but rather relish in blaming the individual nurse who only wants to help care and treat patients in their most vulnerable time.

Nurses wonder, when is enough pain and suffering enough?

It is time for change and to fully hold decision makers accountable. #safestaffingsaveslives

12

minnesota nursing accent

Get involved! 2021 Municipal Elections

Decisions made at the local level impact hospitals, healthcare providers, and the welfare of the community. Whether it’s hospital and unit closures or public health decisions made at city hall, the voices of nurses have a tremendous impact on the public health of your community and the working conditions inside hospitals.

What does it mean for elected officials to stand alongside nurses to hold hospitals accountable? How can we hold elected officials accountable in ensuring quality care is provided for our communities?

Every election cycle, hospitals are getting involved— talking with elected officials, giving candidate contributions, and sharing their narrative on what’s going on inside hospitals—and so are we. MNA nurses are getting involved by participating in screenings, door knocks and phonebanks; talking to candidates; and sharing their stories of working conditions in hospitals.

Join in and make your voice heard. Learn more about MNA’s endorsed candidates at mnnurses.org/endorsements.

Get involved in Duluth’s 2021 municipal elections by contacting Zach Sias, MNA Political Organizer, at zach.sias@mnnurses.org or (651) 242-4352, and in Saint Paul’s municipal elections by contacting Cameron Fure, MNA Political Organizer, at cameron.fure@mnnurses.org or (651) 252-5028.

MNA Nurses endorse candidates for Saint Paul Mayoral and Duluth City Council races The MNA Board of Directors announced the endorsement of candidates running for election this fall in Saint Paul and Duluth. MNA nurses have chosen to endorse Melvin Carter for St. Paul Mayor, and the following candidates for Duluth City Council: Mike Mayou for District Melvin Carter 2, Renee Van Nett for District 4, and TerSt. Paul Mayor ese Tomanek and Joe Macor for the two At-Large seats.

The endorsement process included candidate questionnaires and an interview with candidates by local screening committees of nurse members who live and work in St. Paul and Duluth, respectively. Those nurses made a recommenMike Mayou dation to the nurse-elected MNA Board Duluth City Council District 2 for the endorsement of the candidates.

“Nurses are proud to stand strong with Melvin Carter for Mayor of St. Paul,” said MNA President Mary C. Turner, RN. “His continued commitment to supporting nurses’ and worker’s rights, and his determination to find more equitable public health solutions that will improve Renee Van Nett the lives of patients and the entire St. Duluth City Council District 4 Paul community, shows he is on the side of nurses and families.”

“Mayou, Van Nett, Tomanek and Macor each demonstrated a strong commitment to building relationships with MNA members, holding hospitals accountable, and identifying and partnering on public health initiatives in the future,” Terese Tomanek Duluth City Council said Chris Rubesch, MNA First Vice PresAt-Large Seat ident. “Nurses are proud to stand with these candidates for Duluth City Council.”

All MNA candidate endorsements can be found here: https://mnnurses.org/ issues-advocacy/elections/mna-candidate-endorsements/ Joe Macor Duluth City Council At-Large Seat

13

minnesota nursing accent

CARn Corner

By Cynthia Barnes, retired RN, BSN

Living History

As I was working on this article, I turned on CNN and there it was: Kabul had fallen and people were fleeing, the airport was overrun. I was immediately transported back to Vietnam with my brother and other people in my life.

One of those people is Kay Bauer, retired RN, U.S. Navy Commander, CARn and long-time MNA member who went to Vietnam as a nurse officer to set up a local hospital for surgery.

Many are surprised that a Navy officer spent a tour of duty ‘in country’ in that war. As we are now, we were a divided country then over support for that war.

As the guest speaker at CARn’s August meeting, Kay shared her experiences living and working in a war zone, including exploding bombs and close calls. Nurses cared for the local people as well as for our wounded soldiers. She told us about carrying messages home for those who remained in Vietnam when many Americans went home.

Kay was treated well on her trip home, unlike many others who were spit on when they got off the plane and called disgusting names. Her troubles came later when she became a recruiter. On her day off, the building in which she worked in downtown Minneapolis was blown up. Then the house next door was burned down, and the residents died. She was told it was probably a mistaken address and was likely meant for her.

Kay married and raised a family, and while she was done with active duty, she continued to be very involved as inactive. If you have seen the nurse statue near the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C., Kay was one of the group members leading the efforts for a memorial for the military women. She also worked to have PTSD recognized at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Later, Kay worked many years as a staff nurse at United Hospital where I worked with her in the ICU. I have always admired Kay and called her “Admiral”, as that would have been her next rank had she stayed on active duty. I also attended her retirement from the Navy, and remember the women were so elegant in their formal uniforms of long skirts and white jackets.

Coming up on the CARn agenda in November is a presentation by Senator Erin Murphy, an MNA member; a former lobbyist, MNA staff member and MNA Executive Director; and a staff nurse in the OR, I believe. Having known Erin a long time (I remember her pregnant with twins), I have seen her many amazing accomplishments.

We share her dedication to fair and just government. We first met when she was a member of MNA staff and a lobbyist.

When I was co-chair of our Political Action Committee (then ‘MN PIN’) and meeting with the chair of the Governmental Affairs Commission, we all crossed paths frequently.

All of us were so proud when Erin ran for office the first time—one of the first nurses to run for office. Many of us worked on or donated to her campaign. She was a part of us.

Erin Murphy’s campaign for Governor of Minnesota was exciting, especially for nurses. Her continued meetings with people all over the state make her one of the most knowledgeable office-seekers anywhere.

CARn members are awaiting her presentation with great interest. Please join us! The next CARn meeting, including Senator Erin Murphy’s presentation, will take place on November 10 at 10:00 a.m.

Remember your MNA Quick Reference Staffing Card!

Know what to do in the moment and what to do after the fact to hold administration accountable for their poor and unsafe staffing conditions.

Need a new card? Ask your MNA Steward or bargaining unit chair.

14

minnesota nursing accent

Nurses leading the Medicare for All movement By Jean Forman, RN

Nurses are leading the movement for Medicare for All in our country. I am so proud to be part of this call for sweeping change to our broken healthcare system. It gives me purpose and hope to make healthcare better now and for future generations.

I got involved just around the edges after the Metro Strike in 2010. Threats from the employer to tinker with our wonderful healthcare plans that had been foundational for economic security had me worried how anyone would be able to afford basics like prescription meds and cancer treatments.

Luckily, we negotiated to keep our plans!

I started asking if there was a better way to have healthcare because, although we didn’t lose our benefits, I wasn’t sure that we wouldn’t in the future. I attended some informational sessions at MNA and tried to learn more about single-payer healthcare. Then in 2016, Allina went after our plans again, and this time we were not successful at keeping our plans despite a seven week-long strike. As one nurse shared with me, “Now I understand how our patients wait until they need the ICU before going to the doctor”. We were now in the same situation, ‘having skin in the game’ and because we had negotiated salary increases below cost of living (COL) over the years, we were not in a good place.

I became even more determined to learn about and advocate for Medicare for All. Thanks to MNA, I have had so many opportunities to attend forums and seminars, meet other activists, and really grow my voice to work on this important movement. I am determined to make this law real, and guarantee better futures for my children, grandchildren, neighbors, and community.

Surprisingly, opponents are found in all conversations, many of whom are not fully informed. Even other union members are not on board. Imagine having your negotiation team work on better pay, better education, and other important benefits! Union members from all types of work are losing on the insurance issue, and it’s time to unite outside of our con-

tracts to make Medicare for All real! Healthcare is a human right, not a clause in a contract. It should not be tied to a person’s employment status, it should be no cost at point of care and it can be paid for progressively.

How many times are you finding yourself answering health questions from family and friends about if they need to see a doctor? While your advice is probably sound, it’s sad that folks are weighing a medical bill they maybe can’t afford against just asking their nurse friend. How many GoFundMe requests do you see for medical help? Even full-time employed people can’t afford an unexpected medical bill.

Nurses, we know we can do better, we see it each day whether you are an ED nurse, a case management nurse, an ICU nurse, or OBS unit nurse. The unfairness of the current broken system highlights shortfalls, inequalities, and to be honest, the cruelness of the healthcare and insurance industries.

I encourage you to get involved by first learning more about Medicare for All—there is room in the movement for any amount of time that you can give. Most importantly, the question should not be “How can we afford this?”, but rather, “How can we not afford to make these important changes?”

Please be on the lookout on the MNA website for educational sessions, and days of action; it will take nurses’ leadership to accomplish Medicare for All.

MNA welcomes new staff • Marakah Mancini, Researcher/Labor Relations Specialist. Marakah has over 15 years of experience in communications and research. Most recently, Marakah served as Director of Communications and Strategy for Co-op Cincy. Prior to that, Marakah was a Senior Field Communicator for SEIU International.

• Megan Duevel, Nursing Education Specialist. Prior to coming to MNA, Megan was an Emergency Department nurse at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and a Neuroscience and Cardiac Stepdown nurse at United. She has also served as a member of the MNA Health and Safety Committee. Before becoming a nurse, Megan held positions responsible for patient safety, quality measurement, and performance improvement in several organizations.

• Travis Thibodeau, Organizing Manager. Previously an MNA Organizer and Senior External Organizer, Travis is transitioning into the position of Organizing Manager.

15

minnesota nursing accent

Children’s nurses make strides in staffing and continue the fight

By Doreen McIntyre, RN

• Hiring nurse 100 FTEs in the next two years and hiring 300 employees by December • A six-month Flexible Schedule FTE Incentive Bonus of $6,500 for every .1 increase in FTE for 8 hour shifts and $9,750 for every .15 for 12 hour shifts to aid in staffing while the hospital hires and orients nurses • Opening more med/surg beds to address the ED inpatient crisis • Recalling nurses from the previous layoffs back to their original units While Children’s has addressed some staffing concerns, we know the fight is long from over. But we also know that our collective actions have helped put pressure on the hospital resulting in change.

With the ongoing pandemic changing the landscape of healthcare, Children’s management used it as the perfect excuse to make changes in both Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Initially, non-essential surgeries were canceled in both hospitals and many nurses went on furlough. Once the hospitals began scheduling surgeries again, nurses knew and explained to management that there would soon be a short staffing problem.

The hospital was slow to call nurses back from furlough and we had to deal with inadequate staffing. Unit by unit, nurses responded and participated in mass emailing campaigns to the Chief Executives and Directors asking to call back nurses in response to the increasing census.

Meanwhile, the hospital started restructuring in Saint Paul, with the intent to move high acuity services to Minneapolis and keep lower acuity in Saint Paul. Nurses believe that we need to maintain all services in Saint Paul. Many RNs left the hospital and both hospitals had to lay-off nurses. The census started to explode, creating inadequate staffing levels. All the units began a Concern for Safe Staffing (CFSS) form blitz. Nurses’ names were removed from the forms and they were sent to the hospitals’ CNOs, CEOs, Directors and HR departments every 24 hours. We have had frequent all-nurse meetings, we have done petitions, we have marched on the CNO and CEO, and in June, we held informational pickets at both campuses.

Thousands of unsafe staffing forms were and continue to be filled out.

In the months since the pickets, Children’s executive management has apologized and taken responsibility for the mess they created. They have committed to: • Numerous pre-scheduled Incentive Bonus and Just In Time Bonus programs, with increasing dollar amounts • Starting a Children’s-wide behavioral health program that is reviewed in System Labor Management Committee

16

minnesota nursing accent

The truth about the Twin Cities’ healthcare bed shortage By Rui Pina, RN

We are witnessing another surge in healthcare hospital needs. The media is inundated with stories of ICU bed capacity issues with COVID-19 being the usual cause of this situation.

However, it fails to shine a light on the responsibility that the corporate-driven healthcare industry bears. This crisis is greatly self-induced by poor business practices, and profit-driven policies and strategies that have significantly exacerbated the healthcare worker shortage.

With the onset of COVID-19, healthcare employers in the Twin Cities instituted “COVID-19 staffing practices” to address years of chronic short staffing and unwillingness to staff appropriately for community needs. Hospitals have traditionally run with minimal staffing and at maximum capacity. ER waits and closures, due to lack of staffing, were not new with COVID-19.

Those practices have been in place for several years before COVID-19 happened.

Following last year’s COVID-19 wave, employers decided to continue and to compound such staffing practices by reviewing patient care ratios downwards with the justification that such changes, in order to address efficacy, were necessary to address COVID-19 related financial losses despite being recipients of emergency government COVID-19 funds. In St. Paul, the actual number of patient care beds was significantly diminished with a closure of one hospital and partial closure of another. In addition, one employer has implemented an electronic acuity tool that further contributes to patient assignment concerns. Nurses in the Twin Cities will consistently work full shifts without the ability to take time to eat a meal or take a break. The employer’s response—“Why don’t you find another nurse (equally overburdened) to take your assignment?”

Despite an increasing labor market demand due to fatigue, healthcare workers leaving the profession, and poor working

conditions, most employers have refused to address such issues or increase compensation in order to address demands.

Healthcare benefits for healthcare workers have been on the decline for several decades and that is especially significant during a pandemic when professional hazards make the need for healthcare financial security a concern. Healthcare workers are now faced with the worry that a potential exposure can result in financial ruin. Some organizations have not only failed to recognize this, but have doubled down by refusing financial responsibility and by refusing to pay exposed workers for work-related quarantine time.

Politicians in the Twin Cities, despite words of support for frontline workers, have turned a blind eye to the corporate healthcare misdeeds. Many, supported individually or collectively by such organizations, seem unwilling to “bite the hand that feeds them”, thus neglecting the duty to represent Minnesotans and their healthcare needs. As long as state elected officials continue to ignore their duty to address patient ratio concerns, healthcare delivery and availability will continue to deteriorate in the Twin Cities. Corporate healthcare’s sole priority is profitability and their drive to benchmark their practices with the rest of the country will result in a downward delivery of care. Minnesota will lose its renowned leading edge in healthcare delivery.

As another wave occurs, we are now severely impacted by an overworked, demoralized, and exhausted healthcare workforce. Poorly led by corporate leadership who are unable to understand the dynamics of this shortage and their responsibility in its origin, it is easy to miss such development when leadership is remote, occurring in the relative safety of online venues such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams, far away from the bedside and unable to view the impact such decisions have on the very same frontline workers that many leaders claim to greatly honor and appreciate.

17

minnesota nursing accent

Join the MNA Ethics Committee Book Club Welcome to our readers, whether first-to-last pagers or skimmers or wannabes! The MNA Ethics Committee extends a warm invitation to join in on engaging and enriching conversations with other MNA nurses. This Book Club meets five times a year, and offers not only connection with other nurses, but also 2.0 nursing contact hours! We are using Zoom as our platform for meeting with all the bonus material it includes, such as pets, babies, and coffee mug wisdom. It’s an informal venue, yet often yields great insights for the time spent in discussion with one another.

Use the MNA event calendar at www.mnnurses.org/events to reserve your spot. You will receive a reminder email with the Zoom link prior to the book clubs. Hope to see you often in 2022! All book club meetings take place on Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Book club selections for 2022: January 20 Witches, Midwives and Nurses: A History of Women Healers by Barbara Ehrenreich, Deirdre English (1993) Medicine has always been an arena of struggle between female practitioners and male professionals. This pamphlet explores two important phases in the male takeover of health care: the suppression of witches in medieval Europe and the rise of the male medical profession in the United States.

March 17 Duty of Care: One Doctor’s Story of the COVID-19 by Dr. Dominic Pimenta (2020) This is a nonfiction account of a doctor’s experiences working in a National Health Service (NHS) ICU ward during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with much of the book focusing on the events that occurred in March and April of 2020. It provides some great insights into the struggles that the NHS faced at the beginning of the pandemic, which only worsened as the case count climbed.

May 19 You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience by Tarana Burke and Dr. Brené Brown (2021) There is no doubt currently in anyone’s mind that there is a definite “shift” happening right now in our world! This book highlights the importance of using one’s platform to improve and impact lives—a form of “Active Activism” rather than “Reactive Activism”.

All Ethics Book Club selections can be found at mnnurses.org/bookclub

September 15 Unplugged: Reclaiming Our Right to Die in America by William H. Colby (2006) “Unplugged” addresses the fundamental questions of the right-to-die debate and discusses how the medical advances that bring so much hope and healing have also helped to create today’s dilemma. This compelling book explores recent high-profile cases, including that of Mrs. Schiavo, and illuminates the complex legal, ethical, medical, and deeply personal issues of a debate that ultimately affects us all.

November 17 Charity: The Heroic and Heartbreaking Story of Charity Hospital in Hurricane Katrina by Jim Carrier (2015) First went the power. Then came the water, and for five days, the country’s oldest hospital was under siege. The never-before-told story of the heroic doctors, nurses—and patients—who fought to survive Hurricane Katrina at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. The story traces a remarkable fiveday transformation of an infirm institution, caught in a sea of death and indifference, into an island of care and tenderness.

18

minnesota nursing accent

Member Benefits Materials

MNA offers a wealth of information, benefits, and resources for nurses at any stage of your career. Take a look at all of the many benefits available to you. More information can be found on our website at https://mnnurses.org/resources/ member-benefits/. Please note, special discount codes or details will be found upon logging into the Member Center (members only) section of the website.

Scholarships and Grants The Minnesota Nurses Association Foundation (MNAF), a non-profit corporation affiliated with MNA, provides funding for nursing research grants and scholarships.

Each year, MNAF provides thousands of dollars in scholarships and grants to members and students. They are excellent opportunities to advance the nursing profession through research and education. Members are encouraged to apply.

MNAF was established in 1981 to honor the memory of Katharine Densford Dreves. Katharine was president of the American Nurses Association, president of Minnesota Nurses Association, and Director of the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. Her vision and determination promoted the advancement of the profession in the development of knowledge on a state, national, and international level.

• MNAF serves as a vehicle for donations to support nursing research and scholarships for nursing education. You can contribute to the advancement of nursing research and education by donating to MNAF. • Contributions to MNAF make excellent gifts for special occasions of colleagues or for memorials of a family member or friend. An acknowledgement letter will be sent to the recipient.

• Contributions are tax deductible. For tax purposes, the acknowledgement letter can be used for verification. You may also contribute to MNAF by checking it off on your membership renewal form.

For more information, contact MNAF, 345 Randolph Ave, Suite 200, St. Paul, MN 55102; (651) 414-2822, 1-800-5364662, ext. 2822 or via email.

MNAF Scholarship Application Forms for the 2022-2023 academic school year will be available in March 2022 at http:// mnnurses.org/mnaf. Deadline for online scholarship applications is June 1 of each year.

Research Grants Research Grant Quarterly Deadline Dates: January 1, April 1, June 1, October 1 New Brookwood Labor College Scholarship Minnesota Nurses Association Foundation (MNAF) is offering three $500 scholarships to MNA members in good standing to attend a class at New Brookwood Labor College (https:// newbrookwood.org/).

Online Application Form is available at www.mnnurses.org/ mnaf Scholarship Deadline Date: October 1 Nursing Certification Reimbursement Scholarship Minnesota Nurses Association Foundation (MNAF) is offering four (4) nursing certification reimbursement scholarships up to $500 each to cover the fees associated with nursing certification or re-certification.

MNA members in good standing, whose contracts do not include employer reimbursement for certification or re-certification, are eligible for these scholarships.

Online Application Form is available at www.mnnurses.org/ mnaf Reimbursement Scholarship Deadline Date: October 1 MNA Disaster Relief Fund If you have been adversely affected by a recent disaster, funds may be available to you. To apply for funds, a Disaster Relief Fund Disbursement Application must be completed.

This application can be found in the Member Center under Forms. Assistance will be provided for disasters which have affected the member’s primary residence only. Applicants are limited to $1,000 per request. Applications will be accepted for up to three months post-disaster.

FirstNet Offer for Healthcare Workers Get a FREE Apple Watch and 3 months FREE service, on eligible or new FirstNet plans for your smartphones, wearables, or tablets. FirstNet is the only nationwide wireless broadband communications platform dedicated to America’s first responders and public safety community. This reliable, highly-secure communications platform brings reliability to public safety agencies and first responders—helping them make faster and better decisions to keep themselves and the public safe. FirstNet is different from other carriers in that it has a dedicated public safety core that routes FirstNet traffic. Our low-cost plans are affordable as well.

19

minnesota nursing accent

Pet Insurance 10% Discount for complete coverage: Exam fees, diagnostics and treatments, accidents, illnesses, hereditary conditions, cancer, dental disease, behavioral issues. Annual limit from $5,000 to unlimited. You can add preventative care, or accident-only coverage. Details on how to get this discount are found upon logging into the Member Center.

Office Max Save up to 75% on the officedepot.com regular prices on our best value list of preferred products.

Thousands of products discounted off the officedepot.com regular prices. Order online and pick up in 1 hour. Free delivery on qualifying orders of $50 or more. Log into the Member Center to get your Store Purchasing Card information.

St. Paul Federal Credit Union We consistently offer some of the lowest loan rates in the Twin Cities, which directly benefit Union members and their families.

Compare Rates on their website: stpaulfcu.org • New or Used Auto rates as low as 2.89% for 60 months.

• When you do compare, make sure you compare the actual rate for the actual term you are likely to need (for example, a 60-month auto loan), instead of the “advertised” rate (ex: adv “ALA” 2.99% but that is for a 36-month loan. Rate for a 60-month loan is 3.29%).

• With St. Paul Federal Credit Union, our fees are among the lowest in the market so you will end up with more of your hard-earned wages in your pocket.

• WE PAY FOR DEPOSITS (Savings, Certificates of Deposit, Money Market, Checking).

• We are among the highest deposit rates in the Twin Cities, which directly benefits Union members and their families.

• Two main branches, but we have shared branching which gives you access to over 5,600 participating credit union locations nationwide.

• Free online banking phone app.

• We own an insurance agency, St. Paul Federal Insurance Agency, and provide a wide range of coverages.

• For four years in a row, St. Paul Federal has been honored by Depositaccounts.com as being one of the healthiest Credit Unions in the United States.

Saint Paul Federal Credit Union https://stpaulfcu.org 1330 Conway St., Suite 200, St. Paul 30 East Seventh St., Suite 270, St. Paul 1-800-782-5767 / 651-772-8744

Upcoming Meetings Board of Directors Wednesday, November 17 Wednesday, December 8 Convention October 3-5, MNA Convention, Bloomington Commission on Governmental Affairs (GAC) Wednesday, October 13, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 10, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday, December 1, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

CARn Wednesday, October 13, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Wednesday, November 10, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Wednesday, December 8, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Racial Diversity Committee Executive Meetings Thursday, October 21, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 18, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, December 16, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Racial Diversity Committee General Membership Meetings Wednesday, October 27, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, November 23, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, December 21, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Commission on Nursing Practice and Education Thursday, November 4, 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Ethics Committee Thursday, November 18, 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.

Minnesota Nurses Association Foundation (MNAF) Wednesday, October 27, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Health and Safety Committee Monday, October 25, 8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

Monday, November 22, 8:30 - 10:30 a.m.

345 Randolph Ave., Ste. 200 St. Paul, MN 55102

minnesota nursing accent