Healthy Life Resources

Tag: healthcare workers

Pa. Rep. Summer Lee introduces hazard pay bill for healthcare workers

Posted on by Betty W. McBryde

U.S. Rep Summer Lee, D-12th District, introduced legislation on Thursday that would provide hazard pay and other protections for essential healthcare workers in emergency or disaster situations. 

The Hazard Pay for Health Care Heroes Act, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Ed Markey D-Mass, would include not only doctors and nurses at hospitals, but home care workers, medical technologists, and environmental services staff.

“I’ve been fighting for fair wages and safe conditions for our hospital workers from my time as an organizer and state legislator all the way to Congress,” Lee said in a statement. “Every time disaster strikes, our health care workers show up for us–even when it means putting their own lives at risk. It’s time we show up for them with pay and protection, not just bells and whistles.”

Under the legislation, the first Lee has introduced as a member of Congress as a primary sponsor, the

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HCA Healthcare’s lack of transparency, low staffing draws concern from workers

Posted on by Betty W. McBryde

Nurses, healthcare workers, and patient advocates rallied recently in front of the Nashville headquarters of HCA Healthcare, the nation’s largest hospital chain, to coincide with the company’s annual shareholders meeting.

Specifically, we’re demanding that HCA improve worker safety and patient care quality and access by increasing frontline hospital staffing levels and posting all actual prices in compliance with federal law. These changes are necessary to protect workers’ and patients’ health and financial security.

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Patients and workers come first

A recent SEIU study reveals how HCA systemically short-staffs its 182 hospitals across the country. By analyzing Medicare cost reports, the study concludes that HCA’s nurse and support worker levels are 30% below the national hospital average. The report demonstrates a pattern of staffing levels declining significantly after HCA takes over a hospital.

Inadequate nursing staffing levels

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As Healthcare Organizations Get Bigger, Healthcare Workers Feel Small

Posted on by Betty W. McBryde

There are two trends hitting healthcare right now, and they’re not unrelated. One is consolidation; big healthcare organizations are getting even bigger. The other is burnout. And the sooner we realize the connection between them, the better off the industry will be.

To review the latest headlines:

Elevance is acquiring Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont are combining.

Amazon has acquired One Medical.

CVS Health has acquired Oak Street Health and Signify.

And of course, just a few weeks ago we learned that Kaiser Permanente plans to acquire Geisinger Health and form Risant Health. That deal will bring more than 13 million lives under Kaiser’s management. This all comes after years of consolidation and the creation of many

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