Houston Chronicle Editorial, August 16, 2010 A nurse's primary job is: A) To take care of her patients. B) To protect her doctor. To most of us, the answer seems obvious. So we were pleased last week that two nurses, Anne Mitchell and Vickilyn Galle, won a settlement from Winkler County, Texas - the county that not only fired them after they blew the whistle on a questionable doctor but prosecuted them on criminal charges to boot. In 2008, Mitchell and Galle began to voice concerns about a new hire, Dr. Rolando G. Arafiles Jr., to their superiors at Winkler County Memorial Hospital in Kermit. But nothing happened. ... It

Vitals Spotlight, August 16, 2010 Nurses Vickilyn Galle and Anne Mitchell submitted an anonymous report to the state of Texas in 2008 after observing a pattern of improper medical practices performed by Dr. Rolando Arafiles. However, the report did not remain anonymous and the pair of nurses faced felony charges from the county. These charges have since been dropped and the two nurses will now split a $750,000 settlement for damages. Mitchell and Galle may have received some money, but now the two nurses, who were just trying to stand up for patients’ rights, are facing the difficulties of trying to find new jobs. ... Nurses

Kevin Sack, New York Times, August 10, 2010 Two nurses agreed Tuesday to split a $750,000 payment from Winkler County, Texas, to settle the lawsuit they filed after being fired and criminally prosecuted for reporting allegations of improper medical treatment by a doctor at the county hospital, their lawyer said. One of the nurses, Anne Mitchell, was acquitted in February of misuse of official information, a felony, for anonymously reporting Dr. Rolando G. Arafiles Jr. to the state medical board in 2009. Charges against the second nurse, Vickilyn Galle, were dropped shortly before the trial. ... Texas

Jason Roberson, Dallas Morning News, June 28, 2010 In the past two months, 1,900 nurses in five South and West Texas hospitals voted to unionize. The union's recent Texas victories – the state with the third-most registered nurses behind California and New York – go against the state's anti-union history. Nurses at hospitals in Brownsville, Corpus Christi, El Paso and McAllen are now represented by the National Nurses Organizing Committee-Texas, an affiliate of the 155,000-member National Nurses United. Next on their organizing list: Dallas. ... Texas

LM Sixel, Houston Chronicle, June 24, 2010 When the Service Employees International Union arrived in Houston five years ago to organize the city's low-paid janitors, many labor observers assumed the union was really fixated on a bigger goal: the thousands of well-paid but nonunion health care employees who work for institutions at the Texas Medical Center and surrounding hospitals. The assumption appears to be playing out as SEIU and its on-and-off rival, the National Nurses Organizing Committee, have racked up a string of impressive victories recently at five Texas hospitals owned by Nashville-based HCA, the giant hospital chain. During a five-week period this spring, the unions won nine elections. ... Unions

LM Sixel, Houston Chronicle, June 22, 2010 Registered nurses at Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center and Tenet Healthcare Corp. reached their first tentative agreement for a new three-year contract. The National Nurses Organizing Committee-Texas, the organizing arm of National Nurses United, represents about 300 registered nurses at the hospital. The tentative agreement, which would provide 10.5 percent in raises spread out over three years, must be ratified by the nurses who voted to join the union two years ago, said Patrice McArthy, a registered nurse at Cypress-Fairbanks Medical Center and a member of the union bargaining committee. ... Nurses

Nearly 2,000 Texas RNs Vote to Join Nation’s Largest Nurses’ Union. National Nurses United, June 4, 2010 HCA RNs at Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso, Texas celebrate victorious vote count to join the National Nurses United. Capping a historic sweep that could alter the nation’s labor and political landscape, registered nurses at Valley Regional Medical Center Thursday night voted to join the nation’s largest RN union. ... Lone

Mike Hall, AFL-CIO, June 4, 2010 More than 1,900 registered nurses at five Texas hospitals have voted to join National Nurses Organizing Committee-Texas (NNOC-Texas), an affiliate of the 155,000-member National Nurses United (NNU). The election wins by the nurses took place during the past two weeks, with the latest victory coming last night at the Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville. They join the registered nurses who voted for a voice at work at four other Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) hospitals ... 1,900

Vic Kolenc, El Paso Times, May 28, 2010 El Paso - Registered nurses at Del Sol Medical Center have voted to be represented by a national nurses union. In an election Tuesday and Wednesday, 205 registered nurses voted to join the National Nurses Organizing Committee-Texas/National Nurses United union, and 78 voted against the union, according to the National Labor Relations Board. The agency oversaw the election. Eighty-four nurses eligible to be represented by the union did not vote, according to Del Sol information. Last week, registered nurses at Las Palmas Medical Center, Del Sol's sister hospital, also voted 151-71 to join the nurses union. Both hospitals are owned by HCA Inc., a national hospital chain. ... Del

Robert Gray, El Paso Inc, May 24, 2010 El Paso - Tony Viscon, a registered nurse at Las Palmas Medical Center, had a lot of questions for his supervisors before a union vote was held at the hospital last week. But if he approached supervisors with a question, they could only do one thing, he said. Whip out a card and read him a short statement. “They couldn’t tell me anything, and I can’t tell you how frustrating that was for me,” Viscon said. He said he wanted to hear more than the perspective of SEIU, the Service Employees International Union, and the California Nurses Association organizers campaigning at the hospital. ... Workers

Marty Schladen, El Paso Times, May 22, 2010 El Paso - A movement to unionize hospitals appears to be gathering steam in El Paso -- and across Texas. Nurses, nurses' aides and workers such as custodians at Las Palmas Medical Center have voted 174-131 to join the Service Employees International Union. The ballots were tallied late Thursday. Also Thursday, registered nurses voted 151-71 to join the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, said Terri Wyatt, a spokeswoman for the hospital. An effort to organize health professionals such as physical therapists at Las Palmas failed 24-16. ... Hospital

Oralia Ortega, KTSM, May 21, 2010 Hundreds of employees have voted to form unions at Las Palmas Medical Center. Registered nurses, vocational nurses, food service workers and similarly-classified employees voted to form unions. But a vote from health professionals such as physical therapists failed. As we reported, non-professional workers at Del Sol Medical Center voted to unionize earlier this week. The hospital has released a statement saying they do not believe having a union is in the best interest of the hospital but say it will not interfere with providing care to the community.

Marty Schladen, El Paso Times, May 21, 2010 El Paso - Pay and benefits appear to be the big reasons why some workers at Del Sol Medical Center are forming a union. Licensed vocational nurses, custodial personnel, food-service employees - almost everybody except doctors, registered nurses and managers - voted Tuesday to become part of the Service Employees International Union. Workers in the same jobs at Las Palmas Medical Center, also owned by Nashville-based Hospital Corporation of America, were voting Thursday, and results weren't immediately available. Registered nurses at Las Palmas were also voting Wednesday on whether to join the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee. ... Del

Cindy George, Houston Chronicle, May 21, 2010 The Methodist Hospital has joined the movement toward requiring their registered nurses to have bachelor's degrees. Since December, the Texas Medical Center institution has required all newly hired experienced nurses to have a four-year degree. This helps the hospital create a nursing work force equipped to treat patients with more complicated conditions such as transplants while handling expanding technology and an ever-increasing knowledge base, said Ann Scanlon McGinity, Methodist's chief nursing executive and senior vice president for operations. ... New

Associated Press, May 18, 2010 Pecos - A lawsuit by two nurses who say they were wrongfully fired after anonymously reporting a doctor to the Texas Medical Board will proceed. US District Judge Rob Junell on Monday set a November 16 trial date after a second round of mediation failed. Anne Mitchell and Vickilyn Galle sued Winkler County Memorial Hospital and several county officials after they were fired and prosecuted for reporting Dr. Rolando G. Arafiles Jr. Charges were dropped against Galle. Mitchell in February was acquitted of misuse of official information. ... November