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      Hospitals Facing Resistance to Health Care Worker Flu Vaccine Mandate A growing number of hospitals requiring employees to be vaccinated against seasonal influenza this fall are reportedly encountering resistance. Public health and disease control experts have long been discouraged by the shockingly low rates of influenza vaccination among health care workers, despite the potential benefits to patients in reducing the likelihood of hospital-borne infections (not to mention the personal protection the vaccine provides). Federal Dollars Provided to Health Centers Almost $69 million in federal stimulus money has been pumped into Florida’s community health centers so far this year, according to the Health News Florida Web site. The funds should enable the centers to raise the number of patients served from 852,000 to about 1 million. More than half of it, $41 million, was awarded recently to 44 community health centers throughout the state. The two-year grants will pay for expansion, renovation, upgraded equipment, and staff to see more patients.  One Million Workers Got Seasonal Flu Shots The number of U.S. hospital workers vaccinated against seasonal flu during the last fall/winter flu season increased by 14 percent, a non-profit says. As part of the Flu Vaccination Challenge, about 1.1 million U.S. healthcare workers were vaccinated against the seasonal flu during the 2008/2009 flu season. State Budget Troubles and Long-Term Care As fiscal year 2009 comes to a close, U.S. states continue to face serious budget challenges with implications across the depth and breadth of government functions. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) says the situation has already led at least 39 states to cut funding for various services, including public health programs and programs for elders and people with disabilities.  L.A. Rally Supports Home Care Providers Members of United Domestic Workers Home Care Providers Union (UDW/AFSCME) and other service worker unions recently participated in the largest demonstration of support for California's home care providers in state history. If a hospital is unionized, might care be better? One recent study found that hospitals with unionized registered nurses have 5.5 percent fewer deaths from heart attacks than nonunion hospitals. That mortality rate is a key statistic used to evaluate a hospital’s performance. The study, conducted independently and without union funding, was by an economics and public policy professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a community health professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Published in Cornell University’s “Industrial and Labor Relations Review,” the study looked at many variables that could affect quality, including how better wages might increase productivity. It concluded that the presence of unionized workers meant higher quality of care. UC Patient Care Workers Win! After a year-long struggle for justice, 11,500 patient care workers at the University of California have overwhelmingly ratified an agreement on a five-year contract. Next Wave Toolkit Learn how to start a new Next Wave chapter, host an event, get involved in the election or find more information.
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Denise Berkeley
CSEA Local 1000, New York
"Health care is a huge industry and it's easy to feel alone. But with a union, I never feel alone. Everyday, we stand up together -- for our rights, for our families, for our patients and for each other."
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