This was a busy week of hearings on policy bills and WSNA was well represented with several members providing testimony on key bills. As a reminder, all hearings and meetings with legislators are taking place over Zoom and are being aired on TVW.
Press release / Statement
We call on employers to clarify their policies, and we call on the state to ensure workers cannot be forced to return while sick, or disciplined for refusing to work while symptomatic with COVID.
"We do not believe that NINR intended to exclude research on health care equity; the health equity lens appears to be defined broadly enough to include health care equity. However, because some definitions distinguish between health equity and health care equity, this should be clarified."
Press release
Today a coalition of healthcare workers launched the WA Safe + Healthy campaign calling on Washington legislators to pass safe staffing standards that protect healthcare workers from dangerously high patient loads.
On Dec. 13, join the launch of our statewide campaign to ensure that we can care for patients safely, retain qualified staff, recruit new people into our industry, and create sustainable and resilient healthcare systems for our communities.
Press release
Hundreds of nurses, patients and community leaders gathered outside St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma on Nov. 3 to demand the hospital improve conditions so nurses can provide safe, high-quality care to every patient.
Press release
Nurses and other frontline workers are calling on hospitals to use the tools and resources they have available to finally begin mitigating this crisis for workers and patients.
WSNA nurses from all over Washington state are participating in the VaccinateWA campaign. Listen to their stories in these powerful videos encouraging the public to get vaccinated.
In September, the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission put out a statement on COVID-19 misinformation. WSNA sent a letter to the Commission expressing concerns with the statement.
WCN put together the Future of Nursing (FON) 2020 Report Card for Washington State to provide highlights of progress made toward FON: Leading Change’s recommendations in graphic form.
In February, we asked you to participate in a survey to identify ongoing areas of opportunity, improvement and focus for WSNA in the 2021-2023 biennium. This survey, called the 2021 Biennial Member Survey, consisted of 17 multiple-choice questions and an open-ended space for nurses to submit questions or comments.
A nurse’s scope of practice is defined by each state’s Nurse Practice Act. In Washington state, this is encompassed in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) and Washington Administrative Code (WAC). Let’s unpack each of these and learn how they affect nursing practice in Washington state.
This spring, the National Academy of Medicine released The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. This report explores how nurses can work to reduce health disparities and promote equity, while keeping costs at bay, utilizing technology, and maintaining patient and family-focused care into 2030.
Nurses today have more education and certifications than ever before. But how should nurses list those credentials? Should all of them be listed after your name? What about nonnursing credentials? It seems confusing; should nurses even bother?
The Washington State Legislature’s 2021 Regular Session adjourned sine die on April 25, marking the end of the 2021 legislative session. While the remote session presented new challenges, it also allowed for greater public participation — and the legislature made significant accomplishments.
The reality cannot be overstated: Washington hospitals are on the brink of a crisis, and without immediate and impactful action to retain and attract critical workers the state’s health care system could face an unprecedented collapse in capacity and care.
Because Governor Inslee has issued this mandate, health care employers – public and private – have to abide by the mandate. However, all employers still have to bargain with WSNA over the effects of the mandate.
Press release / Statement
As unions representing nurses and health care workers in Washington state, WSNA, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW21 support science-based public health directives on COVID-19 vaccination requirements for frontline health care workers, with medical and religious exemptions.
On June 21, Governor Inslee announced that three coronavirus pandemic-related proclamations would be rescinded in anticipation of Washington state's June 30 reopening date. One of these proclamations, the High-Risk Worker Proclamation, will be rescinded June 28 and transition to the new Health Emergency Labor Standards Act.
On May 11, Governor Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5190 into law — which goes into effect immediately and provides presumptive eligibility for workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance.
“I encourage all people in our state to join me in honoring the nurses of Washington, especially recognizing the critical and live-saving role that registered nurses have filled around our state, country, and world through the current coronavirus pandemic.”
The legislature adjourned Sine Die on April 25, marking the end of the 2021 Washington State Legislative Session.
Gloria Brigham, WSNA director of nursing practice, received a key to the city of Federal Way on April 6 from Mayor Jim Ferrell. Brigham, representing WSNA, was one of seven people who accepted the awards on behalf of healthcare workers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and grocery workers.
WSNA applauds the guilty verdicts delivered against former police officer Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd. The jury’s conclusion supports what we know to be true: that Black Americans, especially Black men, are too often victims of systemic racism in law enforcement in this country, and the consequences can be deadly.
