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As we continue to celebrate Nurse Talk’s 4th birthday we, of course, had to drag out yet another blast from the beginning days of Nurse Talk with then co-host Maggie McDermott and one of our favorite callers Muriel. And for those of you who might be concerned about Muriel — we recently contacted her and she has completely recovered from her “chortling” disorder. She is remarried and has started a new career as a minister—a woman of the cloth. Well, it’s always nice to find a happy ending. You can listen to Muriel’s call at the Nurse Talk Comedy Pharm.

And speaking of politics — -oh,  I don’t think we were speaking of politics — BUT let’s. Our guest this week is Michael Lighty. Michael is the Director of Public Policy for the California Nurses Association. He talks with us about the upcoming election and the high stakes in California with Propositions 30 and 32. Often times these propositions are written in such a way that they are very difficult to understand — or shall we say interpret.  Michael helps decode and tells us why voting yes on 30 and no on 32 is important for nurses and patients. For more  California voting information or a national voting guide visit nationalnursesunited.org. Read more…

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And speaking of politics — -oh,  I don’t think we were speaking of politics — BUT let’s. Our guest this week is Michael Lighty. Michael is the Director of Public Policy for the California Nurses Association. He talks with us about the upcoming election and the high stakes in California with Propositions 30 and 32. Often times these propositions are written in such a way that they are very difficult to understand — or shall we say interpret.  Michael helps decode and tells us why voting yes on 30 and no on 32 is important for nurses and patients. For more  California voting information or a national voting guide visit nationalnursesunited.org. Read more…

As we continue to celebrate Nurse Talk’s 4th birthday we, of course, had to drag out yet another blast from the beginning days of Nurse Talk with then co-host Maggie McDermott and one of our favorite callers Muriel. And for those of you who might be concerned about Muriel — we recently contacted her and she has completely recovered from her “chortling” disorder. She is remarried and has started a new career as a minister—a woman of the cloth. Well, it’s always nice to find a happy ending. You can listen to Muriel’s call at the Nurse Talk Comedy Pharm.

And speaking of politics — -oh,  I don’t think we were speaking of politics — BUT let’s. Our guest this week is Michael Lighty. Michael is the Director of Public Policy for the California Nurses Association. He talks with us about the upcoming election and the high stakes in California with Propositions 30 and 32. Often times these propositions are written in such a way that they are very difficult to understand — or shall we say interpret.  Michael helps decode and tells us why voting yes on 30 and no on 32 is important for nurses and patients. Read more…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:45 — 73.8MB) | Embed

Welcome to Nurse Talk where laughter is the best medicine. A salute to our Republican friends and relatives—and we do have them. This week’s show has a little Mitt Romney. We think he’s singing AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL? Oh dear lord.

We promise when the Democratic Convention rolls around we’ll give equal time to President Obama’s singing! Just a little fun on this sunny summer day.

AND—hey—what about that West Nile Virus?! Well, a listener in Utah wants to know if she should get her family face and head nets to keep them safe. Well now lets stay calm. Casey and Shayne will share the low-down on the facts about this nasty virus—what it is, where it comes from—and simple steps to save yourself the money it would cost to buy those face and head nets.

Also—get ready for a little policy talk with California Nurses Association Director of Policy, Michael Lighty. Or—closer to the truth—get ready for some very disturbing facts and findings from a report that cites the huge profits hospitals are making by virtue of their non-profit status. Private not-for-profit hospitals, which dominate the California hospital landscape, rack up tax exemption benefits of close to $2 billion a year beyond what they return to communities in charity care, according to the report. Read more…

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Also—get ready for a little policy talk with California Nurses Association Director of Policy, Michael Lighty. Or—closer to the truth—get ready for some very disturbing facts and findings from a report that cites the huge profits hospitals are making by virtue of their non-profit status. Private not-for-profit hospitals, which dominate the California hospital landscape, rack up tax exemption benefits of close to $2 billion a year beyond what they return to communities in charity care, according to the report.

The study was just released by the Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy, the research arm of California Nurses Association and National Nurses United. You really won’t want to miss this conversation. You can read the report for yourself at www.calnurses.org. Read more…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:45 — 73.8MB) | Embed

Welcome to Nurse Talk where laughter is the best medicine. A salute to our Republican friends and relatives—and we do have them. This week on the show you will hear Mitt Romney. We think he’s singing AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL? Oh dear lord.

Shayne says, “Casey that was AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL and we’re told he learned it from Millie Fawn his music teacher in high-school—lets take a listen.”

Ladies and gentlemen, Millie Fawn:

We promise when the Democratic Convention rolls around we’ll give equal time to President Obama’s singing! Just a little fun on this sunny summer day.

We’ve got CNA’s Michael Lighty on the so-called Not-for-Profit hospital rip-off, Trent Lange with a victory for all of us from The California Clean Money Campaign, caller questions, health trivia and a lot more. Read more and listen up…

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Podcast (boston-edition): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:50 — 37.0MB) | Embed

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A special thank you to all of our listeners, the nurses who save lives and make a huge impact on humanity every day. Thanks too to our sponsors the California Nurses Association, National Nurses United, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, our media partner Laura Flanders and GRITtv and our strategic partner Nurse Together. Without you all we might be driving down Route 66 in our RV waxing about Nurse Talk as something that might have been.

We salute you nurses. Please enjoy this song by San Francisco area singer and songwriter, Colette Washington, Angel By My Side and an encore presentation of Nurse Talk featuring a great nurse memoir and interview with an 82-year-old nurse who is still helping people.

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Michael Lighty joins Nurse Talk for a conversation about Main Street vs. Wall Street. Which side are you on? Michael is the articulate and passionate Director of Public Policy for National Nurses United. Michael recently spoke with Casey at the NNU Staff Assembly in D.C. You won’t want to miss what he has to say. Read more…

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:50 — 37.0MB) | Embed

Podcast (boston-edition): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:50 — 37.0MB) | Embed

Podcast (nnu): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:23 — 7.8MB) | Embed

Coming Up…Casey and Dan just can’t get enough of themselves! The jury is still out as to whether others feel the same… Great show though. What do the Pips have to do with it? Listen and find out.

Michael Lighty joins Nurse Talk for a conversation about Main Street vs. Wall Street. Which side are you on? Michael is the articulate and passionate Director of Public Policy for National Nurses United. Michael recently spoke with Casey at the NNU Staff Assembly in D.C. You won’t want to miss what he has to say.

Later in the show RN and author Kate Genovese joins us. Kate has written a book called Thirty Years In September, A Nurse’s Memoir. Her memoir poignantly describes the adventures of her nursing career, beginning with her trial some days as an LPN, when she lost her nursing license because of a drug addiction, her recovery, and going back to school once again to obtain her RN. Full of hilarious anecdotes, Thirty Years is a tale of strength, hope, and courage in a world of sickness and death.

And last but not least our hosts chat with RN Rita Grady who just happens to have the same last name as Dan. Read more…

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Guest: Michael Lighty

Michael Lighty, the Director of Public Policy for the California Nurses Association, joins Casey to speak about healthcare reform and advocating for single-payer bills state-by-state. He has over twenty years of experience in political, community and union organizing. He has spoken throughout the country on healthcare reform, financing and delivery issues. He is currently coordinating the national policy and organizing for CNA/NNOC’s healthcare reform program. Read more…