Hospice Community Program:
WSNA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Hospice management in July 2020 to continue a pilot project with some changes in shifts and hours for After-Hours RNs. Because the pilot project was temporary and slated to last for six months, we talked with Members to find out if it would be acceptable to make the shifts permanent. They were in agreement and the positions will now be posted. There will be a 0.8 FTE and 0.6 FTE each for evening and night shift. Making the positions permanent offers protection for the nurses and security in their jobs.

Working conditions on the COVID units:
Your WSNA Officers and three ICU RNs met with management on April 1. The nurses, Lindsay Taylor, Stephanie Davis, and Amanda Huynh, shared lots of important information regarding three key points: patient safety, staff safety, and nurse burnout. It was heartfelt, and we hope this had a huge impact on management. All of the nurses that have worked on the COVID units have faced an unprecedented year, caring for these very sick patients. All the while, they have had to wear PAPRs the entire shift, take care of the entire unit, and have managed with few ancillary staff and support. WSNA has sent a proposal to management to institute a COVID premium for these hard-working RNs. The ball is now in management’s court. They have indicated that they should have a response to us by April 23, 2021. We will keep you posted.

Personal travel and new CDC guidelines:

WSNA received notice from management that they had updated their Personal Travel Policy on April 1, 2021. However, on April 2, the CDC issued updated guidelines regarding travel, quarantine requirements, and important information regarding its impact on those who were vaccinated. We have requested that PeaceHealth include the updated CDC guidelines in their policy. The PeaceHealth policy issued on April 1 has “buried” the following information in the fine print: “HCWs who have received any COVID-19 vaccine approval for use at PeaceHealth are exempt from this policy ten (14) days after the completion of all required doses as outlined by the FDA authorized vaccination schedule. HCWs who have received COVID vaccinations at locations other than PeaceHealth will be required to provide documented proof to Employee Health.”

Please note that the requirement is ten (10) days, not fourteen (14). Click for more information regarding the CDC guidelines and travel: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html.

What is an investigatory interview?
If you are asked by your manager to attend an investigatory interview, please contact one of your WSNA Officers. It is important to have a union representative to be your witness and take notes on your behalf. Because meetings like this can be extremely anxiety provoking, it becomes even more important to have someone there to support you. You are also entitled to have adequate time to arrange for representation. If you are given meeting options with dates and times, you are allowed to request additional dates and times if they do not work for your union representative.

The purpose of investigatory interviews is to find out facts. Management is required to conduct interviews with all involved parties. Once your meeting has taken place, it may be days and sometimes weeks before you learn the outcome of the investigation.

Are you inter­ested in attending the 2021 Washington State Nurses Conven­tion for free?

It’s not too late. We still have a few spaces available! This year, your Local Unit leaders are sponsoring eight (8) nurses to attend the virtual conven­tion April 28 – 29. This will be on a first-come, first-served basis, so hurry and get in touch!

If you have never been able to fit the conven­tion into your schedule or budget, this is your oppor­tu­nity. This year, we’ll have a fantastic lineup of speakers presenting on impor­tant topics relevant to your practice, including how to achieve patient and workforce safety and how to create a culture of anti-racism in health care. Earn up to 8.25 CNEs!

For more infor­ma­tion and to request sponsor­ship, contact WSNA Nurse Repre­sen­ta­tive, Hanna Welander, at hwelander@wsna.org. Hanna will provide all the details on regis­tra­tion and reimbursement.

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Hanna Welander at hwelander@wsna.org.