Association of University Registered Nurses
An Oregon Nurses Association Bargaining Unit at
Oregon Health and Sciences University
July, 2011
NEWSLETTER
What is up with the Sam Jackson Road Closure?
AURN/ONA Officers
President
Katy Cooper, RN
CMICU 12K
Vice President
Vacant
Secretary
Cheryl Rice, RN
DCH OR
Treasurer
Harold Fleshman, RN
4A
Member At-Large
Susanna Rhodes, RN
DNCC
The Sam Jackson Park Road closure is
scheduled to begin on July 11 and
should last for eight (8) weeks — hopefully completed by September 5 (Labor
Day). Because of the closure, traffic on
the other roads that lead up to OHSU is
a concern.
Here are some of the ideas being
implemented to reduce the number of
cars that access OHSU.
Many of the ideas are dependent on
using parking capacity at the South
Waterfront. By using the Whitaker lot,
valet parking, lot 33, Cirque lot and the
OHSU is looking for ways to reduce
Bancroft lot, OHSU thinks they can
traffic to Marquam Hill in order to
utilize 1000 to 1500 spaces for cars that
preserve ways for patients and families
were previously parking on Marquam
who need to get there. After studying the Hill.
detour, alternative routes and previous
Eliminate Day Pass Permits on
traffic studies, they believe that a 50 perMarquam Hill
cent reduction in vehicles that previously
Currently, about 500 vehicles park on
would have traveled on Sam Jackson
Marquam Hill by purchasing day passes.
Park Road—reducing traffic by about
These parkers are mostly employees,
3,000 cars per day is what is needed.
students and vendors.
Meet ONA’s PNCC Members at OHSU
(Continued on the Back)
What does PNCC do?
The Professional Nursing Care Committee
(PNCC) serves as a resource to direct care
nurses and the Unit Based Nursing Practice
Committees (UBNPC) on matters related to
patient care and professional development. The
PNCC works closely with the AURN to ensure
that the concerns are addressed and facilitates
resolution of practice issues in collaboration with
the CNO Jennifer Jacoby.
Members of the ONA Professional Nursing Care Committee pictured
above include from left to right Cheryl Rice (AURN Liaison) Deidra
Weinert, Sarah Mittelman, Basilia Basin and Clarice Gerlach. Eva
Weist is also a member of the committee but is not in the photo.
Do you have a concern or possible agenda item for
PNCC. Contact the Chairperson, Basilia Basin, by phone
at (503) 621-2148 or by e-mail at swcalico@yahoo.com.
Meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of every
month at 4:00 p.m. in DCH10401.
The PNCC also conducts an annual review of
the certification bonus list, makes recommendations to the councils for membership, collaborates with the Healthcare Education Services to
delivery UBNPC leadership development
training, and engages in several other activities.
This year’s leadership training workshops will be
offered September 8th and September 27th, see
the Healthcare Education Services website
(https://ozone.ohsu.edu/healthsystem/dept/
nursingeducation/) for more information.
18765 SW Boones Ferry Road, Suite 200 Tualatin, OR 97062 — 503-293-0011
AURN July Newsletter — Oregon Health Sciences University
Page 2
Changes in FMLA/OFLA and Other Leaves Administration
This is reprint of information that was
sent out to all OHSU employees from
OHSU’s Benefits Department. ONA
staff has reviewed these changes and
has had discussion with OHSU
Human Resource Leaders both about
the change of administrator and the
change in the leave year calculation
method.
Partnering with The Reed Group to
administration parameters, such as
manage employee leaves offers many the leave year change notice.
advantages, including:
Read the grey box in this article
A high level of customer service to
below.
employees and their managers, with
expanded hours of operaUnder the Family and Medical Leave Act
tion and improved turn(FMLA) and the Oregon Family Leave Act
around time for inquiries;
(OFLA), eligible employees are entitled to up to
Additional services such as 12 weeks or more of protected leave per leave
OHSU can make this change, and we an online self service report- year. Currently, OHSU uses the calendar year
believe they are doing it in a way that ing tool and non-English
as its leave year.
will not harm employees who are
speaking assistance;
Effective September 1, 2011, OHSU will return
seeking access to leave and may
to using a 12-month “rolling backward” leave
have been planning for their needs for Access to experienced
year to determine the amount of leave available
leave under the old system. Please
industry experts who can
to an employee under FMLA/OFLA. Under the
read the entire article, and please call assist OHSU in reducing
rolling backward leave year, employees are
Employee Benefits if you have any
absences and enabling
granted leave based on a historical review of
questions at (503) 494-7617 or talk to employees to return to
hours worked and prior leave taken to
one of the ONA Labor Representawork as soon as possible;
determine additional leave entitlement.
tives at (503) 293-0011.
Oversight to ensure
If an employee has taken some leave under
The Benefits Office would like to take compliance with Federal
FMLA in 2011 and requests a new leave after
this opportunity to share exciting news and state leave laws and
September 1, 2011 but prior to December 31,
about our new partner, the Reed
awareness of regulatory
2011, the Reed Group will review both leave
Group, who will be managing leave
changes that impact
calculation methods (calendar year and rolling
administration for OHSU.
OHSU operations.
backward year) to ensure the employee
receives up to the maximum amount of leave
Effective September 1, 2011, the
We are confident that the
Reed Group will begin managing
Reed Group’s expertise and that would be available under either leave
calculation method.
employee leaves of absence under
proven best practices will
the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), benefit employees and
Any employee who has exhausted his/her
Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) and OHSU. As we go forward,
FMLA entitlement in 2011, or who has not taken
OHSU’s Extended Medical Leave
you will receive information any FMLA leave in 2011, will qualify for future
program.
about new operating and
leaves under the rolling backward method.
More on the Sam Jackson Park Road Closure
(Continued from front)
construction period.
OHSU will still sell day passes, but
100 percent of these will have to park
at the South Waterfront and take the
tram.
If there aren't enough volunteers,
OHSU is considering mandating
alternatives. They have asked each
mission area to develop plans to
achieve reduced access using a
variety of solutions, including developing criteria to limit parkers. Those
decisions have not yet been made.
Convert 1000 parkers to TriMet
riders and commuters
OHSU wants to incent annual parkers
to give up parking passes for project
duration and ride public transportation. There will be rebates on parking
for duration of construction and free
TriMet Passes. Drawings for
giveaways will occur at the end of the
Move 1000 parkers with monthly
permits to the South Waterfront
OHSU is asking for volunteers first,
but if there were not enough volunteers, the remainder of the 1000
parkers will have to be mandated to
park at the South Waterfront.
Incentives, including weekly prize
drawings, are designed to make this
more acceptable.
Telecommuting/Staggered Shift
OHSU is actively promoting this where
feasible, though for the bulk of nurses
this is probably not an option.
Biking.
There will be a valet system for bikes
at bottom of tram to reduce number of
bikes on tram (like Ski-Keep systems
used at ski resorts).
Look up AURN activities at www.oregonrn.org under Union then Bargaining Unit.