Nurses at HomeHealth Press for Patient Care Protections - Federal Mediator to Lead Negotiations as Company Refuses to Meet Maine Standards on Staffing or Patient Safety

Registered Nurses represented by the Maine State Nurses Association will have a federal mediator lead their bargaining with HomeHealth Visiting Nurses of Southern Maine and Cumberland County area, as the two sides remain far apart on a number of key issues affecting the quality of care given patients and the retention of nurses.  The nurses, therapists, and social workers at the agency say that overwhelming caseloads and excessive overtime are making it increasingly difficult to ensure that patients receive the care they deserve.

Nurses and therapists belonging to MSNA demand they be allowed a voice in patient care procedures through the creation of a professional practice committee (PPC).  RNs at Eastern Maine Medical Center recently won a ground-breaking contract that includes a similar provision, which is becoming a standard patient safety procedure both nationally and in Maine.  PPCs are staff-driven committees which ensure that patient care is delivered in the interest of the patient—not the healthcare corporation.

“We’re tired and completely overworked and there is little the agency is doing to fix the problems.  The workload is such that staff, especially registered nurses, are not staying and wages are so low comparative to Cumberland Counter it is hard to recruit new nurses.  This is not a situation that promotes quality patient care and that is concerning,” said Angle Eccles, an RN at HHVN.

Other issues include wages and benefits that will allow the agency to hire staff and contract language that will protect union members from the employer filing with the NLRB in order to threaten staff regarding their “supervisory” status.

“For the good of these incredibly vulnerable homebound patients, HomeHealth caregivers need an effective vehicle to address staffing and patient safety problems.  The current system is not working.  We need a practice committee made up of direct-care staff that has some real authority in order to provide effective care for our patients,” said Judy Brown, an RN and President of MSNA/Unit 1. 

About MSNA/NNOC
MSNA is the historical association for RNs in Maine.  In 2006, MSNA joined the California Nurses Association and its national arm, the National Nurses Organizing Committee, the nation’s fastest-growing union of direct-care nurses, representing over 75,000 members in all 50 states.  Learn more at www.NNOC.net.