National Nurses United

J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y | M A R C H 2 0 2 2 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 5 MICHIGAN D ue to a new governing rule added to Michigan's Public Health Code and General Rules, training on implicit bias is now required for initial licensure or registration as well as for license or registration renewal. This training is in addition to any continuing education training required for health professions. The Michigan rule defines implicit bias as "an attitude or internalized stereotype that affects an individual's perception, action, or decision making in an unconscious manner and often contributes to unequal treatment of people based on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, age, disability, or other characteristic." (Rule 338.7001). The Michigan Nurses Association was at the forefront of this new state requirement as a stakeholder in the curriculum develop- ment and in developing its own implicit bias training for Michigan nurses and health care workers. Specific requirements include a live, interactive format, defining different forms of bias and related concepts such as social determinants of health, definitions of health disparities, and assessment of per- sonal bias. The continuing education in Michigan by MNA includes discussion of ways health care workers (HCW) can aid in reduction of disparities in the delivery of care and how to reduce barriers in access and delivery of health care in communities throughout the state of Michigan. The Covid-19 pandemic has dispropor- tionately impacted communities of color in Michigan. African Americans represent nearly 14 percent of the state's population, yet they represent 40 percent of Michigan's deaths from coronavirus. African American Covid-19 patients had the least physician fol- low-up and the longest delays in returning to work, a University of Michigan study found. Inequitable treatment and bias that leads to preventable complications in health care is a form of racism. Racism is a public health crisis that impacts a person's mental, spiritual, and physical health as well as overall quality of life. The nursing profession calls for all nurses to be allies against bias and to advocate for and speak up against racism, discrimina- tion, and social injustice. Education that centers around recognition and reduction of bias by health care workers is at the forefront of the Michigan Nurses Association's commit- ment to advocate for the improvement of health care in our communities. —Staff report Michigan Nurses Association designs new implicit bias training NORTH CAROLINA I n march, the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) division of the North Carolina Department of Labor cited and penalized HCA's Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C. nearly $30,000 for failing to protect nurses and other health care workers in the workplace. N.C. OSH concluded its occupational safety and health investigation and issued citations and penal- ties totaling nearly $30,000 to Mission Hospital for failing to conduct an annual fit test for employees who were required to wear an N95 respirator; failing to establish a record of employee fit testing; failing to promptly notify the North Carolina Department of Labor of the death of an employee due to Covid-19 (HCA waited nearly two weeks to notify the Department of Labor of the death); and failing to report each work-related Covid-19 inpatient hospi- talization within 24 hours of learning about the hospitalization (HCA delayed notifying the Department of Labor about an employee hospitalization for more than a month.) Since October 2021, dozens of Mission nurses participated in the interviews and walk-throughs with state OSH investigators. The RNs have also been protesting unsafe working conditions, including holding a speak-out in February 2022. The nurses voted in September 2020 to join NNOC/NNU, which represents 1,500 nurses at Mission Hospital. "We union nurses have been fighting for a safer workplace throughout the pan- demic," said Kerri Wilson, RN in the cardiac step-down unit at Mission Hospital. "Our workplace is safer because we spoke up, we reported safety violations, and we took the time to show OSH investigators what needed to be corrected. Because our union contract protects our ability to advocate, we know that we can play an active role in exposing the shortcomings of management." "We applaud the North Carolina Depart- ment of Labor for recognizing that Mission Hospital was not protecting its employees or sending timely reports about employees who were hospitalized due to Covid," said Susan Fischer, RN in the float pool. "Mis- sion was not ensuring that we had proper-fitting personal protective equip- ment. And now the hospital has been cited for failing to protect us and has made cor- rections." —Chuleenan Svetvilas HCA's Mission Hospital penalized nearly $30,000 N.C. hospital cited for failing to protect nurses and other health care workers from Covid-19

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