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Tag: Massachusetts Nurses Association

Goodbye. Unfortunate. iTriage. Baby Love. R&R.

Our farewell to Dan…takes us on a walk down memory lane. Old favorites including the bits we did called “Is Anybody Out There Laughing” and “What Song Best Describes Your Nurse.” We share the story about Dan’s battle with racoons in his garage and some other silliness.

More on the decline (evaporation) of mental health services. We are joined by RN and Vice President of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, Karen Coughlin. Karen works at Taunton State Hospital which is on the chopping block. Closure would mean no place for the 147 patients they now serve, and no short-term mental health facility within a 150 miles for the community. This, unfortunately, is happening all across the country.

AND… The coolest APP we’ve ever seen or heard about! We all know what triage means, welcome to iTriage. Without giving too much away…simply put, you can download iTriage and use it all over the world to identify symptoms, find the nearest ER or specialist and what the wait times are in emergency situations—and is so user friendly—I can even use it!

Oh… and one of our favorite guests, RN Marsha Podd, aka the Baby Whisperer, weighs in on the latest controversial mommy gaffe—chewing food for your baby. Yes? No? Marsha say’s “God love moms…it’s a tough job!”

Read more, get the podcast…

We’ll Say it Again: Its About the RN-to-Patient Ratio and Stopping Child Abuse Never Goes Out of Style

Please enjoy this Best of…as Casey and Dan, the nurses usually on duty, celebrate spring break in Mexico with all the college students! Not really, but we thought it was a good visual. Join us next week for all new shows!

On the Show This Week

Nurses keep up the fight for RN to patient ratios…and we should all be very glad they do! We check in with our friends in Massachusetts who are working on safe staffing legislation. Casey and Dan visit with RN and president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, Donna Kelly Williams.

Donna discusses how critically important nurse staffing legislation has become especially with the increase of for-profit hospitals. It’s “deplorable and patients are at greater risk every single day,” says Williams. “When for profits are looking to increase profits they look for cuts in front line nurses at bedside…It doesn’t make sense for anyone with any sense of morality at all.” Based on scientific studies, the MNA advocates for a ratio 4-5 patients per nurse on medical surgical units. Donna also talks about the MNA’s endorsement of U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, who supports safe staffing ratios on a national level.

Wait, wait, there’s more…Marin Advocates for Children is with us and we have a new blog contributor, Joyce Hoffman with her Tales of a Stroke Patient. Keep Reading…

Patsy Cline. Sputnik. Beatnik. Boston. Compassion.

On The Show: Nurses keep up the fight for RN to patient ratios…we should all be very glad they do! We thought we’d check in with our friends in Massachusetts who are working on legislation—so Casey and Dan visit with RN and president of Massachusetts Nurses Association, Donna Kelly Williams. Donna brings us up to speed on current issues—with a central focus on staffing ratios.

Expert says compassion is key. Have you ever witnessed a parent or guardian verbally or physically abuse a child in a public setting? Did you walk away because you didn’t know what to do…or did you intervene? Find out what our expert has to say about what you should do. Cyndy Doherty, executive director of Marin Advocates for Children joins Casey and Dan to talk about what her organization is doing to help and prevent this epidemic. You won’t want to miss her advice and insights.

What about Patsy Cline, beatnik and Sputnick? Read more >

Who is the 2011 Scrooge of the Year?

From our friends at the Massachusetts Nurses Association: Our  allies at Massachusetts Jobs With Justice are taking nominations for  their annual “Scrooge of the Year” competition, an effort to shine a  light on those policymakers, institutions or corporations that have  undermined the interests of working […]

RN Donna Kelly Williams and Greg Batte | Show 421

We visit with Massachusetts Nurses Association‘s president, RN Donna Kelly Williams. Donna brings us up to date on all things Mass including the upcoming Day Of Action, the continued fight for fair and equitable RN-to-patient ratios, The Main Street Campaign, and the Mass Nurses Association’s […]