Steward Health Care: Massachusetts Nurses Association Leadership Continues to Deceive Public

BOSTON, Dec. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Steward Health Care System LLC (Steward) was again attacked by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) leadership in their continuing efforts to mislead the public as they pursue a narrow personal agenda at the expense of patients and the community.

"Recent news that the American Nurses Association (ANA) has suspended the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) for an inappropriate relationship with the MNA leadership demonstrates how reckless and irresponsible the MNA leadership will act in pursuit of their own agenda," said Chris Murphy, spokesman for Steward.  "They will stop at nothing to advance their national agenda even if it means denigrating the hospitals where they have spent their careers.  This is about creating conflict period."

Currently, Steward has a very generous compensation and benefits package in place for its nurses.  Steward nurses have a median annual compensation of $152,000 per year not including the value of paid time off (the median paid time off for Steward MNA nurses is 9 weeks per year) and a contract that calls for a 25% wage increase over the next four years.  This puts them in the top 5% of national nurse compensation and the top 3% of income in the U.S.  In addition, Steward has agreed to negotiate and begin a new defined benefit pension plan.  The richness of this plan is currently in formal arbitration.  Rather than wait for the legal and contractually agreed to process, the MNA leadership is seeking to advance its agenda using intimidation and baseless accusations.

Accusation:

Steward is sacrificing patient quality and not providing basic patient supplies. 

Facts:

Under Steward, the quality scores at every hospital in the system have significantly improved.  This improvement includes a 19.2% reduction in mortality and an 80% reduction in drug-resistant infections.  Specifically, quality and safety at Norwood Hospital has also improved under Steward.  Observed versus expected mortality rates have declined 20% and the hospital is in the 90^th percentile on the AHRQ patient safety index.  In fact, Norwood Hospital was named a 2009 and 2010 Leapfrog Hospital, which means it was in the top 5% of U.S. hospitals for quality.  More information about the high quality of care at Steward hospitals can be found at quality.steward.org.

In addition, the Norwood nurse's claim that Steward is not providing necessities for patients is false.  Steward has invested millions to improve the infrastructure and services at Norwood Hospital, including the construction of a new $6 million cardiac catheterization lab.  Also, Norwood Hospital has ample food available for patients through meal services as well as food supplies that are maintained on each unit for patients that need additional nourishment.  Recently, Steward instituted a policy that food stored on patient floors is for patient consumption only.  Since that policy went into effect MNA leadership has continuously complained.

"We find it interesting that the MNA only accuses their own hospitals of quality lapses and even then only at times of benefit negotiation," said Murphy.  "These false statements are a blatant attempt to incite fear in hospital patients when they are at their most vulnerable."

Accusation:

Nurses that have spoken out against Steward have been fired.

Facts:

No nurse has been fired for raising safety concerns.  Patient safety and quality are the first priority at Steward.  We expect all nurses to raise concerns about patient safety and quality so they can be properly addressed.  In fact since its inception, Steward has maintained an incident reporting system and a compliance hotline to report quality, safety and compliance concerns with the option of anonymity.

"Health care in general, and community hospitals in particular are facing tremendous challenges right now," said Murphy.  "The threat of Medicare and Medicaid funding cuts are threatening the survival of essential community hospitals.  Instead of attacking MNA hospitals for ulterior motives, the MNA should be focusing on preserving community health care in MA."

Accusation:

Steward Health Care is anti union.

Facts:

Steward has had longstanding and strong relationships with a multitude of labor unions.  The Teamsters, Building Trades, and 1199 SEIU have all publicly acclaimed Steward as a model and union friendly employer.  Despite the pointed disagreements with MNA leadership, Steward has tried to maintain a strong and fair relationship with its core nurses.

Accusation:

Steward reneged on its promise to provide MNA nurses with a defined benefit pension plan.

Facts:

Steward has submitted a defined benefit pension plan that matches mutually agreed upon terms to the MNA that they have refused to sign.  Their claims that the terms of the defined benefit plan submitted by Steward do not meet the negotiated terms is directly refuted by the Executive Director of the MNA who testified under oath at a recent arbitration hearing that the items in the Limited Master Agreement (LMA, the agreement between the MNA and Steward) were included in the plan submitted by Steward.  In contrast, the proposed plan submitted by the MNA to Steward does not contain the mutually agreed upon terms outlined in the LMA.

"The request for a richer than agreed upon plan is the sole true agenda item.  As late as today, the MNA proposed withdrawing all accusations and protests if they were to receive this concession.  Norwood Hospital, cited in the MNA press statement, posted a significant operating loss in 2011.  The only way to enrich MNA labor contracts would be by forcing rate increases and premium increases on a community that cannot afford it," said Murphy.

SOURCE Steward Health Care System LLC