Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nurses Working For Stanford Health Care Prepared To Walk Out Over Expired Contract
San Francisco Chronicle: Nurses Authorize Strike At Stanford, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
The union representing 3,700 registered nurses at Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital has voted to authorize a strike, union leaders said Thursday. The union, the Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement (CRONA) on Wednesday voted 85% in favor of moving forward with a potential strike, which would affect more than a dozen outpatient centers across the Bay Area in addition to Stanford Hospital (part of Stanford Health Care) and Lucile Packard hospital. (Ho, 4/11)
KQED: Nurses At Stanford And Lucile Packard Hospitals Vote Overwhelmingly To Authorize Strike
The vote has prompted officials at the hospitals, which are both managed by Stanford Health Care, to prepare for a walkout. ... The nurses' contract with the hospitals expired on March 31. Talks for a new deal began in late January. A federal mediator is getting involved in the ongoing talks next week. At issue are wages, retiree medical benefits and working conditions for the union's 3,700 members.(Goldberg, 4/11)
Modern Healthcare: Stanford Health Care Nurses Union Authorizes Strike Call
In a statement, Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health said it remains committed to good-faith bargaining. The statement said the health system has proposed a "highly competitive compensation package" with "market-leading wages." The statement went on to say that the nurse turnover rate at Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health was 9.8% and 8.4%, respectively, in 2018, compared with a national average of 15.1% and a regional average of 12.3%, according to data from the consultancy Advisory Board. Stanford also said it recruits nurses faster than Advisory Board's national benchmark. (Bannow, 4/11)
And at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai —
Modern Healthcare: Mount Sinai Medical School To Cap Debt At $75K For Students With Financial Need
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will begin capping debt at $75,000 for students with a demonstrated financial need during the next academic year, making it the latest institution to address the massive debt burden that often accompanies medical education. Students who qualify will take out no more than $18,750 per year in loans to cover costs such as tuition, housing, food and books. (LaMantia, 4/11)
