Literature Review

University of Michigan Health-Sparrow nurses authorize strike as contract negotiations continue CBS News, Detroit, MI; by Elle Meyers; 12/12/24 Union officials representing the University of Michigan Health-Sparrow nursing staff have been working for months for an improved contract, but leaders say they're not close to a deal. "The hospital so far is not making offers that are going to keep up competitive. It's not going to allow us to make sure we maintain our level of care or quality of care," said Jeff Breslin, a registered nurse and the president of the Professional Employees Council of Sparrow Hospital. The University of Michigan bought Sparrow last April. Bresil says he was hopeful for positive change. "They had promised to come in and build new facilities, improve other facilities that we have, which is great, but you've got to take care of the people as well, and frankly, I'm disappointed that this is the direction things are taking," he said. Breslin said contract negotiations between the nurse's union and the hospital began last August. Their contract expired in October, and they still haven't reached a deal. He says nurses want to see more competitive pay, better staffing levels and an improved health plan. 

Employees crave Right-to-Disconnect Law HR Daily Advisor; by Lin Grensing-Pophal; 12/12/24 The rise of telecommunications tools like email, online chat, and smart phones has meant that people can stay connected virtually wherever they are, at all times. While that interconnectedness can be a blessing in some situations, it has also led to a lot of stress and burnout among workers who feel like they can’t disconnect when it comes to work. Recent data from web tool review firm EmailTooltester helps flesh out this sentiment, based on survey responses from over 1,000 American adults. Here are some of the key data points:

A boom in male nurses: 8 notes Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Kelly Gooch; 12/2/24 Nursing offers various career opportunities and has traditionally been dominated by women. However, more men are entering the field due to its stability and pay potential, The Wall Street Journal reported Nov. 30. Eight notes related to the boom in male nurses:

Balancing work, life and whatever is in between McKnights Senior Living; guest column by Rebekah Bray, LNHA; 11/11/24 Defining our work and lives as separate entities implies that one should not affect the other. For balance, opposing forces must be equal and not influence each other. In actuality, our careers and our home lives have been begrudgingly unifying for years.  ... Late night and weekend hours somehow have become a badge of honor that demonstrates a commitment to the senior living community or long-term care facility, with the thinking that no one else will possibly be able to achieve it. Endless hours are not sustainable and, simultaneously, a baseline has been developed that tireless commitment is the bare minimum. ... [People] in leadership positions in healthcare seldom are given the luxury to unplug, mentally or physically, due to the endless cycle of problems, including staffing, changes to regulations, revenue and day-to-day operations. Many leaders consider it a sacrifice that comes with the job of leadership. ... Editor's note: Work-life balance continues to be a trend in reasons for retention, unionization, strikes, and more. More significantly--in the midst of your important work as leader--this is your life. This is your time to create and navigate relationships, work, and more. Tapping into your passion for end-of-life care, what will be your joys and regrets when you are receiving palliative and hospice care? What kinds of grief care will your family need after your death?

Kaiser Permanente mental health workers go on strike in Southern California Fox 5 - KUSI, San Diego, CA; by Danielle Dawson; 10/21/24 Thousands of mental health workers at Kaiser Permanente locations across Southern California hit the picket lines on Monday for the first day of an open-ended strike, calling for measures to reduce employee turnover and better patient care. ... The unionized mental health professionals — encompassing therapists, psychologists, social workers and psychiatric nurses — have been demanding Kaiser address issues in their next contract that have contributed to “substandard” care in Southern California. ... Last year, California behavioral health regulators flagged several of these problems when it hit Kaiser with a $50 million fine — the largest-ever penalty issued by the department — for failing to provide timely care to its patients as part of a wider $200 million settlement agreement. “Our agency could lose its Medicare license because we have five days to see our patients and, because our unsustainable caseloads, patient care is being delayed,” Elizabeth Meza, a San Diego-area hospice worker, told KUSI Monday morning. “We are only able to provide the minimum amount of care that they need.”

2,400 Kaiser mental health workers to begin open-ended strike: 6 things to know Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 10/11/24 Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers are set to begin an open-ended strike Oct. 21 at Kaiser Permanente locations in Southern California. Six things to know:

Why hospital-at-home, other providers are pressing worker safety Modern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 9/24/24 At-home care providers are testing strategies to better protect workers who are raising the alarm on workplace safety. A new survey of more than 400 home healthcare workers found more than half said they experienced or witnessed at least one act of violence or harassment in the workplace, according to Transcend Strategy Group, which conducted the poll on behalf of home care providers. The report, which echoes similar findings from a National Nurses United survey, comes as hospital-at-home programs expand and more care moves to where patients live. ... Home-based care providers are trying to address the issue because concerns about personal safety could make it harder to recruit and retain workers in a competitive job market. The concerns are also coming up in contract negotiations between unions and providers.

Providence, hospice workers agree to resolve NLRB complaint Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 9/5/24 Renton, WA-based Providence and caregivers of Providence Hospice in Sonoma County, Calif., agreed to resolve allegations that workers were required to take on additional work and responsibilities without appropriate compensation. The agreement resolves allegations filed with the National Labor Relations Board in June 2023 by approximately 130 registered nurses, social workers and other staff at the hospice care provider, according to the National Union of Healthcare Workers. ... [Click here to read the terms.]  ... Both sides agreed the deal is a win for the caregivers and for hospice. "This agreement is good for us and for the families we serve because it means instead of racing in our cars from one family to another, our agency will have to staff appropriately so we can devote ourselves fully to our patients," Kristina Nauheimer, a nurse case manager at the hospice, said in the union release.

West Penn Hospital union nurses vote to authorize strike WPXI.com news, Pittsburgh, PA; by Taylor Spirito; 8/22/24 Union nurses at West Penn Hospital have voted to authorize a strike. On Wednesday, union nurses votes 99.3% in favor of authorizing their negotiating committee to send a strike notice if necessary, rejecting contract proposals from the Allegheny Health Network (AHN) as inadequate to address the region’s nurse staffing crisis. The nurses are calling for resources to recruit new nurses and retain experienced ones. They said the hospital’s nursing staff must obtain 100 more registered nurses to meet the region’s growing patient care needs, a representative from SEIU Healthcare PA said. 

Skagit Regional Health comes to tentative agreement with nurses Skagit Valley Herald; by Racquel Muncy; 7/30/24 After 14 negotiation sessions over the past five months, Skagit Regional Health and its nurses reached a tentative agreement ... The contract would affect about 600 registered nurses at Skagit Valley Hospital, its clinics and at Hospice of the Northwest. The nurses were represented in their contract negotiations by the Washington State Nurses Association. Prior to Monday’s bargaining session, there had been three major sticking points for the nurses — wages, a desire to have annual raises based on experience rather than hours worked, and retirement benefits.

Rady Children's Hospital nurses strike begins after union turns down deal ABC News 10 San Diego, CA; by Perla Shaheen, Dani Miskell; 7/23/24 The Rady Children's Hospital nurses started hitting the picket line Monday morning. The union representing the nurses recently turned down the hospital's offer of a 25% pay bump over the next three years. The executive director for UNOCH Teamsters Local 1699 says this is the first time they've ever gone on strike. On Sunday, both sides thought they had a deal and would avoid the strike, but late last night, union members voted the agreement down.

Asheville nurse strike? Mission/HCA 'gave some ground'; groups support nurses with fund Asheville Citizen Times; by Joel Burgess; 7/22/24 A nurse union negotiator has said HCA HealthCare, the owner of Mission Health, has "given some ground" on key issues — but nurses are still preparing for a potential strike over staffing numbers at Western North Carolina's biggest hospital. Local activists including WNC Workers Assembly, meanwhile, are rallying residents and raising money to help nurses in case of a strike. Mission nurses unionized in 2020, a year after HCA — a for-profit Tennessee corporation and the biggest hospital company in the country − bought the nonprofit Mission for $1.9 billion. Editor's Note: Mission/HCA provides hospice, palliative, and PACE care.

Anxiety and resilience in palliative medicine physicians BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care; by Cristhian Alexis Velásquez Marín, Carlos Javier Avendaño-Vásquez; 7/2/24, online ahead of printTo identify the relationship between the degree of anxiety and the capacity for resilience in palliative care physicians ..., [we] included 42 Colombian Palliative Care Physicians and administered a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Zung Anxiety Scale and the Resilience Scale. Results: 42 palliative care physicians with an average age of 41 participated in the study. Anxious symptoms were present in 100% of the physicians evaluated. Mild or moderate anxiety was identified in 93.7% of the population and 6.3% of people with severe anxiety symptoms. ... Our results reflect that the population of palliative care physicians has a higher risk and exposure to developing anxiety and its adverse outcomes. We found higher anxiety levels compared with other studies so this population requires greater vigilance and intervention in treating and preventing mental health difficulties.Editor's Note: Executive leaders for palliative care services, use this research to be aware of possible stress-related tolls on your palliative physicians and team members. Ask. Generate dialogue. Do not assume that this applies, but rather use it to tune into and improve the support your physicians need. While this research was in Columbia, it resonates a U.S.recurring trend of the unionization of physicians, often related to burnout and stress overload.