‘No Place That’s Immune’: NYC Nurses Return; Similar Issues Exist Elsewhere
A three-day strike involving thousands of New York nurses at two hospitals ended Thursday with a tentative contract deal, but experts say that the issues at play, including staffing shortages and high caseloads, exist similarly at hospitals across the country. Also in the news: CVS, the North Carolina Medical Board, Mariner Health Care, and more.
Associated Press:
Thousands Of NYC Nurses Return To Work As 2 Hospitals Make Deal To End Strike
Thousands of nurses at two New York City hospitals ended a three-day strike Thursday after reaching a tentative contract agreement that union officials said offers better working conditions, in addition to pay raises. (Peltz, 1/12)
AP:
Even As NY Nurses Return To Work, More Strikes Could Follow
Even as 7,000 nurses return to work at two of New York’s busiest hospitals after a three-day strike, colleagues around the country say it’s just a matter of time before frontline workers at other hospitals begin walking the picket line. (Seitz, 1/13)
Also, in other health care personnel news —
The Hill:
Nurse Fired For Refusing To Prescribe Birth Control Sues CVS
A former CVS employee filed a lawsuit against the company Wednesday for allegedly violating her religious beliefs after she was fired for refusing to prescribe birth control. (Sforza, 1/12)
Boston Globe:
Former Takeda Worker Accused Of $2.3 Million Scam Of Drug Firm
A high-ranking former technology employee at Takeda Pharmaceutical’s US headquarters in Massachusetts and her boyfriend were arrested Wednesday on federal charges for allegedly setting up a fake consulting firm that defrauded the Japanese drug giant of about $2.3 million. (Saltzman, 1/12)
AP:
N. Carolina Auditor, Medical Board Clash Over Review Results
North Carolina’s state auditor and the panel that disciplines physicians clashed over a performance review released Thursday in which auditors said they were hamstrung scrutinizing how the state Medical Board handled provider complaints because the panel denied them information. (Robertson, 1/12)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Judge Orders Nursing Home Chain Accused Of Understaffing, Substandard Care To Comply With State Laws
A Bay Area judge has ordered a major nursing home chain, Mariner Health Care, to comply with California laws on staffing and patient release, with oversight by a court-appointed monitor. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brad Seligman issued the preliminary injunction Friday in a lawsuit filed in 2021 by the state and the district attorneys of Alameda, Los Angeles, Marin and Santa Cruz counties. (Egelko, 1/10)
