WSNA in Olympia: 2021 Legislative Session Week 6
This week marked the first cutoff of the 2021 legislative session, with bills needing to be voted out of policy committees by Feb. 15.
WSNA in Olympia: 2021 Legislative Session Week 5
This was the last week for bills to be heard in House of Origin policy committees; Monday, Feb. 15 is cutoff for bills to be voted out of policy committees.
WSNA in Olympia: 2021 Legislative Session Week 4
This week, WSNA hosted our first-ever virtual Lobby Day – thank you to everyone who attended!
Governor’s office recruiting for vacancies on Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission
The Governor’s office is recruiting for several vacancies on the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission.
UPDATE: How you can help administer COVID-19 vaccinations
To help deliver vaccines across the state, nurses must register as an Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioner in the Washington State Emergency Registry of Volunteers (WAserv) at WAserv.org.
WSNA in Olympia: 2021 Legislative Session Week 3
Policy hearings continued this week, and WSNA weighed in on numerous bills.
WSNA in Olympia: 2021 Legislative Session Week 2
This was a busy week of hearings on policy bills and WSNA was well represented with several members providing testimony on key bills.
WSNA in Olympia: 2021 Legislative Session Week 1
The 2021 Regular Session of the Washington State Legislature convened on Jan. 11. Lawmakers were in Olympia on Monday to pass rules that will allow them to conduct their business remotely for the remainder of session.
Pearls for Practice - All-person safety: Patient lift, movement and transfer
The single-greatest risk factor for overexertion injuries is the manual lifting, moving and repositioning of patients, clients and residents. Washington state law requires acute care hospitals to have a safe patient handling program.
Climate change and nurses
I looked out my window and saw the burnt orange sun rise over the Cascades, but the mountain range was hidden by the smoke. Is this our new normal?
COVID-19: Voices from the front lines
In October, as a winter surge of COVID-19 cases loomed ahead, we spoke to five nurses about their experiences on the front lines over the past year. Here are their stories.
2021 legislative session preview
Nurse education funding, public health funding, school nurse funding, health system transparency, worker protections and workplace safety, and racial equity and justice.
Washington hospitals must do better to keep nurses on the job
Washington hospitals must do better by nurses and health care workers to keep them safe and keep them on the job, where we all so desperately need them.
WSNA statement of support for Dr. Benjamin Danielson
WSNA joins the prominent individuals and groups who have expressed concern and support for Dr. Benjamin Danielson in his recent resignation from Seattle Children’s and the Odessa Brown Clinic over ongoing racist and discriminatory practices at Seattle Children’s.
WSNA is seeking new executive director
WSNA is seeking an executive director to take over leadership of the organization after Executive Director Sally Watkins retires in the fall. Watkins announced her upcoming retirement in November 2020, with the intention of supporting the transition of the new executive director and retiring by October 2021.
Letter from Governor Inslee to hospital administrators: Listen to workers for COVID-19 vaccine rollout
"I strongly encourage you to work closely with the health care workers and their unions in your facilities as you are developing your COVID vaccine distribution and prioritization plan," wrote Governor Jay Inslee in a letter to hospital administrators on Dec. 15.
WSNA statement on COVID vaccine
We believe that healthcare workers should be prioritized to receive the vaccination and strongly recommend that registered nurses be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a key component of a comprehensive prevention effort.
Press release
Unions praise Governor Inslee for addressing concerns of frontline workers in new proclamation
Representing more than 64,000 nurses and frontline health care workers, the Washington State Nurses Association, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW and UFCW 21 applaud Governor Jay Inslee for listening to and addressing the concerns of our members.
WSNA statement on COVID surge and frontline nurses
Nurses will continue to step up and take care of patients through this pandemic; state health officials and hospitals need to step up and make sure nurses have what they need to stay safe and healthy
Letter to members from Executive Director Sally Watkins
Sally Watkins to retire as WSNA’s executive director by the beginning of October 2021.
Press release
AFT, AFSCME, WSNA, and UNAC/UHCP sue Trump admin for shelving standard that would protect America’s healthcare workers from exposure to infectious diseases
Unions representing 500k+ nurses, health professionals demand Trump’s OSHA stop unconscionable delay and issue workplace protections against COVID-19, influenza, Ebola, and more.
Ongoing need for emergency volunteer health practitioners
DOH is continuing to look for medical practitioners and caregivers who are willing to support health care and long term care facilities in the event of a surge this fall related to COVID-19.
WSNA-PAC Endorsements
WSNA-PAC endorses in many statewide races but does not endorse for Federal Elections such as Congressional or Presidential races.
Asking for an upgrade
WSNA has long opposed the Nurse Licensure Compact for a variety of reasons — and in 2019, WSNA spent nearly 20 hours meeting with the members of the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission to discuss those concerns. In the end, many of our key concerns remained.
