Allina doctors and nurses go on strike, Minnesota and other states strike a settlement over AmeriCorps, and it’s Hispanic Heritage Month starting today.
Transcript
WITH HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE STATE, I’M XAN HOLSTON.
COMING UP … RIPPLE EFFECTS FROM THE FEDERAL CRACKDOWN ON MEDICAID FRAUD...
[JOEL BAKKEN: IF THE GOAL IS TO REDUCE ACCESS TO LEGITIMATE, HIGH-QUALITY AUTISM SERVICES IN MINNESOTA, THE CURRENT REVALIDATION SYSTEM IS ACCOMPLISHING EXACTLY THAT.]
BUT FIRST …
--ALLINA STRIKES--
MINNESOTA’S HEALTH-CARE WORKFORCE IS UNDER PRESSURE… WITH TWO ALLINA STRIKES NOW UNDERWAY…
MORE THAN 150 DOCTORS AT MERCY IN COON RAPIDS AND UNITY IN FRIDLEY ARE ON A FOUR-DAY STRIKE THROUGH THURSDAY... INCLUDING DOCTORS WHO DELIVER BABIES... PSYCHIATRISTS AND CRITICAL CARE SPECIALISTS...
ABOUT 60 HOSPICE NURSES ARE ALSO STRIKING.
THE STRIKE COMES AFTER THREE YEARS OF UNSUCCESSFUL FIRST-CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS WITH ALLINA HEALTH… WHICH IS SEEKING REGULATORY APPROVAL TO JOIN SACRAMENTO-BASED SUTTER HEALTH BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
THE DOCTORS AND NURSES UNION WANT PAID SICK LEAVE… MORE TIME OFF AND A GREATER SAY IN PATIENT CARE.. WITHOUT MANDATED USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR DIAGNOSIS.
BOTH HOSPITAL CAMPUSES REMAIN OPEN DURING THE STRIKE.
ALLINA SAYS IT MUST BALANCE THE COST AND AVAILABILITY OF CARE WITH COMPETITIVE CONTRACTS.
--WAGE INCREASE FOR NURSING HOME WORKERS--
MINNESOTA’S ROUGHLY 42-THOUSAND-NURSING-HOME WORKERS ARE FINALLY GETTING A LONG-DELAYED PAY INCREASE.
AMPERS AFFILIATE K-A-X-E’S EMMA KRAB HAS THE DETAILS ON THE LONG-AWAITED RAISE:
[EMMA KRAB: MINNESOTA NURSING-HOME WORKERS NOW HAVE AN INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC MINIMUM WAGE.
THE STANDARD TOOK EFFECT THURSDAY AFTER RECEIVING FEDERAL APPROVAL LAST MONTH.
THE NEW FLOOR RANGES FROM 19 DOLLARS AN HOUR FOR GENERAL WORKERS… TO 27 DOLLARS FOR L-P-N-S.
EVERY RATE RISES ANOTHER DOLLAR-FIFTY JANUARY FIRST.]
MINNESOTA’S 338-CERTIFIED NURSING HOMES CARE FOR ABOUT 20-THOUSAND PEOPLE ON AN AVERAGE DAY…
--CONTINUITY OF CARE – PNS--
THE PRESSURE ON MINNESOTA HEALTH CARE EXTENDS BEYOND NURSING HOMES AND THE HOSPITAL PICKET LINES.
*FEDERAL MEDICAID FRAUD OVERSIGHT IS INTERRUPTING MANY TYPES OF CARE FOR MANY PEOPLE THE PROGRAM IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION GAVE MINNESOTA FIVE MONTHS TO RECHECK NEARLY 56-HUNDRED PROVIDERS IN MORE THAN A DOZEN SERVICE AREAS LABELED HIGH-RISK… OR RISK LOSING UP TO TWO-BILLION DOLLARS IN FEDERAL FUNDING.
AT A SENATE HEARING LAST WEEK … FAMILIES AND PROVIDERS DESCRIBED THE INTERRUPTION OF HOME NURSING AND AUTISM SERVICES.
[BEING WITHOUT NURSING AFFECTS MY ABILITY TO BE A PARENT, TO WORK, TO SPEND TIME WITH MY FAMILY, TO PARTICIPATE IN MY COMMUNITY, TO ADVOCATE FOR THE THINGS I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT AND EVEN TO MAKE ORDINARY PLANS.]
HUMAN SERVICES OFFICIALS SAY THEY’RE TRYING TO FINISH APPEALS AND KEEP SERVICES FLOWING..
AS OF LAST WEEK… D-H-S HAD REVALIDATED MORE THAN 35-HUNDRED PROVIDERS AND COMPLETED MORE THAN 15-HUNDRED APPEALS.
THANK YOU TO PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THIS STORY.
[MUSIC TRANSITION]
--MOTORCYCLE AX PILEUP--
NEAR TWO HARBORS... THE SILVER CREEK CLIFF TUNNEL WILL REMAIN SINGLE-LANE UNTIL PAVEMENT REPAIRS ARE COMPLETED ... AFTER A FATAL MOTORCYCLE PILE-UP.
WITNESSES REPORT SEEING ONE OF THE RIDERS HIT A DEEP POTHOLE AS THE GROUP WAS EXITING THE TUNNEL.. TRIGGERING THE CHAIN REACTION.
ONE RIDER DIED AND SEVERAL INJURED IN THE PILE-UP.. SOME MOTORCYCLES CROSSED THE CENTER LINE.. HITTING AN ONCOMING CAR.
STATE PATROL HAVE NOT DETERMINED THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH.
--MAN CRUSHED IN GREENHOUSE WINDOW--
A MAN CRUSHED AT THE WAIST BY AN AUTOMATIC WINDOW AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH GREENHOUSE NOW FACES FELONY CRIMINAL CHARGES...
THE 21-YEAR-OLD WAS HOSPITALIZED AFTER TRYING TO CLIMB THROUGH THE GREENHOUSE WINDOW WHEN IT CLOSED ON HIM BACK IN APRIL.
PROSECUTORS SAY THE STUNT CAUSED MORE THAN 53-HUNDRED-DOLLARS IN DAMAGE TO THE GREENHOUSE WINDOW AND PLANTS...
--AMERICORPS SERVICES--
MINNESOTA’S ATTORNEY GENERAL ANNOUNCED A NEW MULTISTATE SETTLEMENT WILL PROTECT FUNDING FOR THE STATE’S TWO-THOUSAND AMERICORPS VOLUNTEERS AND WORKERS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR.
MINNESOTA’S AMERICORPS MEMBERS TUTOR CHILDREN… BUILD HOMES AND PROTECT NATURAL RESOURCES IN 82 OF 87 COUNTIES… HELPING MORE THAN 30-THOUSAND MINNESOTANS EACH YEAR.
MINNESOTA SUED AFTER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CUT NEARLY 90-PERCENT OF AMERICORPS’ FEDERAL STAFF AND CANCELED ALMOST 400-MILLION DOLLARS IN PROGRAMS LAST YEAR.
--HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH--
AND FINALLY …
[NAT: LOS TIGRES DEL NORTE’S “SOMOS MÁS AMERICANOS”]
TODAY MARKS THE START OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH...
SEPTEMBER 15TH IS INDEPENDENCE DAY FOR COSTA RICA … EL SALVADOR … GUATEMALA … HONDURAS … AND NICARAGUA. MEXICO CELEBRATES ITS INDEPENDENCE TOMORROW.
CELEBRATIONS GOT AN EARLY START IN MINNEAPOLIS LAST WEEK AT THE HISPANIC HERITAGE AWARDS … WHERE NORTEÑO BAND “LOS TIGRES DEL NORTE” HONORED “THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA” WITH A HUMANITARIAN AWARD FOR STANDING WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS DURING OPERATION METRO SURGE LAST WINTER.
FOR NORTH STAR STORIES, I’M XAN HOLSTON.