February 8, 2008 |
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TIME IS COUNTING DOWN
SNOW AND THE MNA OFFICE
SCHIP SURPRISE
GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES MONEY FOR NURSING
DON'T FORGET TO REPORT
YOUR STORY STILL NEEDED
If you are having difficulty reading this version of NurseLine or accessing the links, go to www.minurses.org.
TIME IS COUNTING DOWN
Before you know it, the Michigan Nurses MARCH! on Wednesday, March 12 will be here - have you registered yet? This is an event you don't want to miss - register on-line today! The deadline for registrations is Wednesday, February 27. For more information on Michigan Nurses MARCH!, click here.
SNOW AND THE OFFICE
The last two weeks of snowy weather have caused us to invoke our winter weather policy for the MNA office in Okemos - when the Lansing School District closes due to inclement weather, so does the MNA office! Consequently, if you contact the office and receive the "closed" message, rest assured that your message will be received and answered when the office reopens.
SCHIP SURPRISE
In a surprise move, President Bush's proposed budget, which was announced this week, increases SCHIP funding by 19.7 billion, a far cry from the suggested 5 billion figure that was being used by the Bush administration last month. On the other hand, the budget calls for "substantial cuts" to Medicare and Medicaid. A good overview based on articles from The New York Times is available on the Cover the Uninsured website.
GRANHOLM ANNOUNCES MONEY FOR NURSING
In her fiscal year 2008-2009 budget released this week, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm announced funds for nursing in Michigan. 10M has been allotted for the Michigan Nursing Corps program and 4.8M for nursing scholarships. The next step - getting the budget approved by the state government.
DON'T FORGET TO REPORT
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is requesting that states report all cases of influenza-related pediatric mortality during the 2007-2008 influenza season. For more information, click here.
YOUR STORY STILL NEEDED
Some heartwrenching stories are coming in through the 2008 Health Care for America survey but more stories are needed! Because health care is such a primary topic of the upcoming Presidential race, any data that can be shared with the candidates regarding people's experiences with the current health care system becomes extremely important. You can help! To take the 2008 Health Care for America survey, click here.
Be sure to check out the MNA Events Calendar for all upcoming events and activities!