Chicago Nurses, Union Reach Deal After Ending Strike

Chicago Sun-Times: Nurses, University Of Illinois Hospital Reach Contract Agreement After Strike 
Union nurses and the University of Illinois Hospital have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract that includes smaller patient loads. The agreement comes after a weeklong strike by 800 nurses that ended Saturday morning when they went back to work without a new contract. Nurses will vote on the agreement Monday. The contract includes a promise to hire 160 more nurses to cut down on patient loads, promises of more protective gear, hazard pay for working during the coronavirus pandemic and other guarantees, the Illinois Nurses Association said in a statement. (Chase, 9/24)

Becker's Hospital Review: California Adds Rules To 'No Pharmacist Left Alone' Law
California's board of pharmacy approved the addition of new regulations to its "No Pharmacist Left Alone Law," which requires pharmacies to ensure pharmacists aren't the only person working in a pharmacy, according to JD Supra, a company that provides legal information. The state originally passed the law in 2018 to address concerns of inadequate staffing in community pharmacies. Inadequate staffing impairs pharmacists' judgment and ability to do their jobs, and endangers public health because it leaves pharmacists unable to do their job safely, according to JD Supra. (Anderson, 9/24)

Stat: Pharmacies Are Bracing For A Surge In Flu Shot Demand Amid Pandemic
With flu season fast approaching, and the Covid-19 pandemic raging on, hospitals and pharmacies across the country are stockpiling far more flu vaccines than normal, anticipating a surge in demand. The drug store chain Rite Aid has purchased 40% more influenza vaccines than other years to meet an expected uptick in demand. Walgreens has also increased its flu vaccine stockpile this year, anticipating a 30% to 50% jump in customers who will want flu shots, the company’s chief medical officer told STAT. (Runwal, 9/25)

Sacramento Bee: Shasta County CA Rescinds Flu Vaccine Rule On Health Workers
A new policy requiring health care workers in a Northern California county to receive a flu vaccine has been canceled after an outcry. A 2013 Shasta County policy requiring health workers to either be vaccinated or wear a face mask at work remains in effect, health officials say in a news release. (Sweeney, 9/24)

In other news —

Becker's Hospital Review: Mayo Clinic Health System President To Retire
Mayo Clinic Health System President Bobbie Gostout, MD, is retiring. Dr. Gostout will retire at the end of the year after five years as president, according to the system, which consists of clinics, hospitals and other facilities in  Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Dr. Gostout joined Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic's department of obstetrics and gynecology 24 years ago. She was the first woman to participate in Mayo's gynecology oncology fellowship and join the division of gynecology surgery in Rochester, hospital officials said. (Gooch, 9/24)

Becker's Hospital Review: Albertsons Names Former Amazon Exec As New Head Of Pharmacy
Former Amazon executive Omer Gajil was named senior vice president of pharmacy and health at Albertsons, which operates 1,726 pharmacies in the U.S., Supermarket News reported. Albertsons, based in Boise, Idaho, is one of the nation's largest retail pharmacy operations and the second-largest U.S. supermarket operator.  (Anderson, 9/24)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Power Play Behind Removal Of Georgia Nursing Board Director
When Jim Cleghorn was fired as executive director of the state Board of Nursing this month, the Secretary of State’s office first said the 10-year veteran director left while an ethics investigation was underway. ...Now, an AJC examination points to another possible reason for Cleghorn’s removal: the Secretary of State’s desire to maintain control of the state’s nurses and the fees the Board of Nursing can generate. (Teegardin, 9/24)

Stat: Former Aceto Controller Is Charged With Insider Trading
File this under ‘What was he thinking?’ After spending nearly 17 years as controller at Aceto, a supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients, Ed Kelly retired in March 2018 and, one month later, was hired as a consultant to help the company close its books for the recently ended fiscal quarter. But then he came across information that he apparently could not ignore — and committed insider trading by acting on it, according to a complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Silverman, 9/24)