HJNO Mar/Apr 2025

58 MAR / APR 2025  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS Hospital Rounds UMCNurses Hold Second Strike in SixMonths Nurses at University Medical Center (UMC) held their second strike in six months this February, a two-day strike. Afterward, nurses reported being locked out by management for the following three days. UMC says that is because they had to hire traveling nurses and there was a five-day minimum contract. UMC nurses are represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), the nation’s largest nurses' union, which represents nearly 600 nurses at UMC. They have been in contract negotiations since March 2024. According to NNOC/NNU, nearly 80% of UMC nurses signed the following petition in 2024, addressed to UMC CEO John Nickens: “The Nurses and Nurse Practitioners at Univer- sity Medical Center are committed to fighting for improved workplace violence and safety pro- tections. Workplace violence and staff safety has become an increasingly major issue in our hospi- tal. Many workplace violence instances get swept under the rug with no support for the victims after the incident; this has been especially acute over the last year. As it stands, nurses are leaving our hospital and the profession due to the violence and trauma they experience at work. This let- ter endorses that the wellbeing of all nurses and healthcare workers must become of the highest priority and measures must be improved upon now. We are asking that the hospital take action to create a comprehensive workplace violence prevention program that is implemented at all times, in all units and work areas, and on all facil- ity grounds, including parking structures. When the wellbeing of nurses and healthcare members is put in jeopardy, it directly impacts their ability to care for their patients. If the safety of nurses and other healthcare employees is not guaranteed, the safety of our patients cannot be guaranteed. We urge UMC/LCMC to work with us and com- mit to create real change that will help us provide better care for our patients.” The ongoing contract negotiations at UMC mark a significant moment for Louisiana, a right-to-work state where union activity among nurses is rela- tively new. The strike comes at a time when hos- pitals nationwide are struggling with a worsening nursing shortage, as many bedside nurses move into non-patient-care roles — a trend accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To address staffing concerns, some states have moved toward legislative solutions. Cal- ifornia remains the only state with legally man- dated nurse-to-patient ratios across all acute care hospital units, a law that has been in place since 2004. The law requires hospitals to maintain spe- cific staffing levels at all times, such as one nurse for every two patients in intensive care units and one nurse for every four patients in emergency departments. Supporters argue that the law has led to better patient outcomes and improved nurse retention, while hospital associations have pushed back, citing increased operational costs and reduced staffing flexibility. More recently, in 2024, Oregon passed a law requiring minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in cer- tain hospital settings, including a 1:2 ratio in inten- sive care units. However, unlike California, Ore- gon’s law does not apply to all hospital units and instead requires hospital staffing committees to develop compliant plans. Meanwhile, at the federal level, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently set staffing standards for long-term care facilities, requiring at least 3.48 hours of nursing care per resident per day, including 0.55 hours from regis- tered nurses. While this is the first federal regula- tion addressing nurse staffing, it does not apply to hospitals. Additionally, the Nurse Staffing Stan- dards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act has been introduced in Congress, but it has not yet passed. As UMC nurses continue negotiations, they say their goal is not only securing a fair contract but also ensuring safer working conditions that will help retain nurses at the bedside and improve patient care — an issue increasingly at the center of healthcare policy debates across the country. Terrebonne General Health SystemWelcomes Deanna Blanchard, MD Terrebonne General Health System welcomed Deanna Blanchard, MD, a family medicine physi- cian, to its medical staff. Deanna Blanchard is board-certified in fam- ily medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine. Blanchard attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and received a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Sciences in Biology. She received medical education from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara in Mexico in 2011. Blanchard went on to complete a pre- internship at New York Medical College, Sound Shore Medical Center in Mount Vernon and then completed a family medicine residency at East Jefferson General Hospital in New Orleans, where she served as the chief resident from 2015-2016. Blanchard is also a certified culinary medicine specialist and a member of the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Blanchard will be practicing at the Multispecialty Clinic in Gray and alongside Abou Issa, MD, at the Chauvin Clinic. Children’s Hospital NewOrleans is NowManning Family Children’s Children’s Hospital New Orleans is marking 70 years of service by announcing a transformational partnership with the Manning Family. This collaboration unites Children’s Hospital New Orleans and the Manning Family (Olivia, Archie, Cooper, Peyton, and Eli). The LCMC Health and Children’s Hospital New Orleans boards of trustees announced that Chil- dren’s Hospital New Orleans will be renamed Manning Family Children’s. “We are truly honored to partner with Children’s Hospital New Orleans in this powerful moment as we look toward a brighter future for kids and fam- ilies together,” said Archie Manning. “Our family has always believed in the importance of giving back to the community that has given so much to Deanna Blanchard, MD