For Immediate Release
Contact: Sara Wallenfang; 517-974-4966
RNs are concerned that Michigan Medicine’s corporate mentality will affect care
(Ann Arbor, MI) On Wednesday, August 8, the Michigan Nurses Association will begin a television, radio and online advertising campaign calling on the University of Michigan to prioritize patient care over profits.
“What’s significantly different now is that they’ve rebranded themselves as Michigan Medicine, and have become a very corporate entity, and have seemed to change their focus away from taking care of patients and are more interested in money,” says Anne Jackson, a nurse at the University of Michigan who is featured in the advertisements.
In addition to running on television and radio in Ann Arbor, the ad will appear on multiple online platforms and is posted at http://uofmwatch.org. Patients can also share their experiences through the website.
Despite a surplus of more than $100 million in fiscal year 2018, management is seeking cuts across the University of Michigan Health System, newly rebranded as Michigan Medicine.
U of M nurses are worried that this increasingly corporate attitude could negatively affect patient care. That is why RNs are fighting for a fair contract that includes staffing language that will put patient safety above profits.
Nurses want the University to:
- Maintain current staffing levels and safe RN workloads so that every patient gets the highest quality of care
- Be transparent about staffing levels because patients have a right to know
- Allow nurses to choose their own representatives on workplace committees so that they can voice patient safety concerns
- Ensure that the Victors Care program, concierge medicine for those who can afford to pay $3,600 extra per year, does not create a two-tier system with longer wait times or less access for other U of M patients
- Stop demanding unnecessary retirement concessions from nurses
“Nurses will not rest until we negotiate a fair contract that guarantees safe staffing to protect our patients,” said Katie Oppenheim, RN and Chair of the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council, which is an affiliate of the Michigan Nurses Association. “In addition to making the public aware of our contract fight with this commercial, we continue to pursue unfair labor practice charges against the University. As nurses, we will do everything that we can to advocate for quality care.”
More information about the outstanding unfair labor practice charges can be found at: https://www.minurses.org/news/michigan-medicine-breaks-a-written-commitment-to-maintain-current-rn-staffing-levels/
The Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) is the largest, most effective union for registered nurses in Michigan, advocating for nurses and their patients at the State Capitol, in the community, and at the bargaining table.
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