National Nurses United

NewsBriefs_Oct Alt 2/25/10 2:56 PM Page 10 NEWS BRIEFS Town Hall Meetings Show Reality of Nurse Staffing in Michigan T MICHIGAN hey came expecting to hear about nurses and their desire to provide safe patient care. What state legislators got was a bitter dose of reality about what constitutes patient care in Michigan hospitals. The Michigan Nurses Association is helping hold a series of Town Hall meetings across Michigan this year to put nurses face to face with their legislators and educate lawmakers about MNA-supported legislation that would eliminate mandatory overtime and establish minimum safe staffing levels in hospitals. At each meeting, Representatives have been visibly taken aback as nurses share horrific stories about what life is like in their workplaces. Twelve neurological patients: one nurse. Eight to 10 newborn babies: one nurse. Three wings of a large nursing home: one nurse. "The bottom line is more important than the nurses," Karen Amato, RN, a former nurse at the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) commented at a Detroit meeting with Representative Coleman A. Young II (D-4). "My hospital does minimal recruitment and obviously they do no retention because who wants to stay and work in that?" "You work 16 hours, seven days a week," Renae Matthews, a DMC nurse, shared. "How effective are you going to be?" "We have patients that I'm begging the family members, who are exhausted, to stay so that their family member is safe," said oncology nurse Theresa Cabras. "I don't want to do that. But I have to. " "How some patients make it through the night—alive—it's a miracle," added Chris Sherlock, a medical/surgical nurse. Elise Lett, RN, a faculty advisor at Everest College, explained that students were routinely counted as part of the nursing staff census in local hospitals. "This is a disservice to the patients and to the students," she said. "It discourages them to think this is the way they're going to have to work when they 10 N AT I O N A L N U R S E become RNs. We're never going to keep a supply of nurses unless something is changed." "Nurses are becoming like professional athletes," said Dr. David Green, an officer of the Michigan Universal Health Care Access Network. "They have an effective span of 10 to 20 years, then the physical labor, burnout and stress from minimum nurse staffing takes its toll. You can't trust hospital administrators to do what's in the best interest of patients." At a recent meeting in Kalamazoo, the issue of minimal staffing hit close to home as the nurses at Borgess Health, represented by MNA, are in the midst of bitter contract negotiations, much of which are focused on appropriate staffing levels. "I go home crying, many, many, many days," Kari Kitzmiller, a medical/surgical nurse from Borgess Health, told legislators. "I don't go home crying because of my 12 hour shift. I don't go home crying because of the tasks I have to do. I go home crying because I worry that I'm potentially harming somebody for not being adequately able to take care of them. It's not safe." Along with eliminating mandatory overtime, HB 4008, the Safe Patient Care legislation, would require that every hospital have minimum, safe nurse-to-patient ratios for each department. Sponsored by Representative Lesia Liss, RN (D-28), the bill has been assigned to the Committee on Health Policy. At the end of the Detroit meeting, Rep. Young was eager to speak with the Michigan Speaker of the House and urge him to get HB 4008 out of committee and onto the floor. "Ask him if a nurse will be available when he or his loved ones need one!" advised one RN. —Ann Kettering Sincox Michigan Nurses MARCH! is coming! All throughout Michigan, over 1,000 nurses and nursing students are preparing for Michigan Nurses MARCH!, the Michigan Nurses Association's legislative day of action at the Capitol in Lansing. Slated for Wednesday, March 24, the MARCH! will include: nationally known author Suzanne Gordon speaking about her book Safety in Numbers: Why Nurse to Patient Ratios Matter, research data on how nurse-to-patient ratios will help Michigan hospitals, meetings with legislators, information on the latest legislation affecting nursing issues, and more. The highlight of the event will be a three-block march to the Capitol followed by a rally on the Capitol steps. With signs waving and the legislators in downtown Lansing watching, the nurses will proudly rally for safe patient care for Michigan citizens. "The MARCH! shows RNs the incredible power they have when they unite behind a common goal such as passing HB 4008 (Safe Patient Care)," said Ken Fletcher, MNA Associate Executive Director of Governmental Relations and Outreach. "The MARCH! provides them with the tools they need to be strong advocates in their profession for their patients." 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 JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2010

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