MASSACHUSETTS NURSE NEWSLETTER :: November/December 2007

MNA holds its first school nurse summit

			A group of community leaders and MNA members from Western Massachusetts met with state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg last month at his Amherst office to discuss H.2059, the Patient Safety Act. Shown here, back row, from left, are Peter Vickery, Patty Healey, Leo Maley and Jon Weissman. Front row, from left, Susan Dorazio, Ferd Wulkan, Miriam Dayton and Bill Ames.

The MNA convened its first School Nurse Summit in Westborough on Saturday, Oct. 20. It was well attended and enthusiastically received.

Numerous speakers addressed issues specific to school nurses, including their collective bargaining rights; contract clauses and wage comparisons; and political activism.

Kathleen Hassey, president of the Massachusetts School Nurses Organization, and Maryalice “Mimi” Stamer, president-elect of the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization, spoke about pending legislation that could affect school nurses.

A panel of labor-savvy nurses was also on hand to tell attendees about their first-hand experience at the negotiation table. This panel included Patti Comeau of the Methuen Public Schools; Melinda Johnson of the Wachusett Regional School District; Cathy Watterson of the Worcester Public Schools; and Karen Tremblay of the Taunton Public Schools.

The day-long program also featured Dana D. Lecesse, J.D., from the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office. Lecesse, who works as the office’s coordinator for the cyber enforcement program, delivered a thought provoking CE presentation entitled “Internet Crimes Against Our Youth.”