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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=837111317-29102007><FONT
face="Courier New"><FONT size=4>Go to this site and Take Action!</FONT> </DIV>
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<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="http://capwiz.com/massnurses/issues/alert/?alertid=10478886">http://capwiz.com/massnurses/issues/alert/?alertid=10478886</A></FONT></DIV></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
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face="Courier New"></FONT></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=837111317-29102007><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'">Baystate Health management
recently announced that they are closing the Greenfield Office of the
Baystate Visiting Nurse and Hospice (VNAH). They also announced that there
would be lay-offs at the VNA office in <ST1:CITY
w:st="on">Springfield</ST1:CITY> and at the <ST1:PLACE
w:st="on"><ST1:PLACENAME w:st="on">Baystate</ST1:PLACENAME> <ST1:PLACENAME
w:st="on">Franklin</ST1:PLACENAME> <ST1:PLACENAME
w:st="on">Medical</ST1:PLACENAME> <ST1:PLACETYPE
w:st="on">Center</ST1:PLACETYPE></ST1:PLACE>.</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=837111317-29102007><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"></SPAN></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=837111317-29102007><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'">According to Baystate
Health officials, they are closing the VNAH in <ST1:CITY
w:st="on">Greenfield</ST1:CITY> and reducing staff at the main office in
<ST1:PLACE w:st="on"><ST1:CITY w:st="on">Springfield</ST1:CITY></ST1:PLACE>
due to rising costs and deficits caused by cuts in Medicare reimbursement for
home care. But Baystate is posting a record surplus for the current
fiscal year! Baystate Health Systems total profits for the second quarter were
$35.1 million, compared to $21.7 million for the same period in
2006. This constitutes a roughly 60%<SPAN
class=758421401-02112007> </SPAN>increase!<O:P></O:P></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'">The VNAH in
<ST1:PLACE w:st="on"><ST1:CITY w:st="on">Greenfield</ST1:CITY></ST1:PLACE>
employs 55 people and provides home care to about 150 patients, and the
hospice program serves between 18 to 23 patients on a daily basis. Given how
well Baystate is doing financially, how can they be cutting these important
services to sick and dying people in <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1:PLACE
w:st="on">Greenfield</ST1:PLACE></ST1:CITY>? <O:P></O:P></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"><O:P></O:P></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"><O:P></O:P></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'">Is this the Baystate
Health System that cares about the community and their employees, or is this a
company who clearly puts profits before patients?</SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=837111317-29102007><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"></SPAN></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=837111317-29102007><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'">Baystate's greed is
hurting our community! <O:P></O:P></SPAN></B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"><O:P> </O:P></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"><O:P></O:P></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"><O:P></O:P></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'">Email your legislators and
urge them to call Trish Hannon (Senior Vice President for Health Care
Operations) at 413-794-5516 and Mark Tolosky (CEO of Baystate)
through his Executive Assistant at 413-794-5890.</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=837111317-29102007><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"></SPAN></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=837111317-29102007><B><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'">Keep Baystate VNA &
Hospice in <ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1:PLACE
w:st="on">Greenfield</ST1:PLACE></ST1:CITY> Open!</SPAN></B>
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="http://capwiz.com/massnurses/issues/alert/?alertid=10478886">http://capwiz.com/massnurses/issues/alert/?alertid=10478886</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT
color=#000000>
<P class=MsoNormal align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Diane Scherrer, RN
</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Western MA <SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Community Organizer, <SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Division of
Legislation</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on"><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Massachusetts</SPAN></FONT></st1:place></st1:State><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Nurses
Association </SPAN></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">CELL: 781-363-3817</SPAN></FONT></P><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<DIV dir=ltr align=left>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes"><SPAN
class=493133317-01062006>
<P class=MsoAutoSig><FONT face="Lucida Calligraphy" color=#333399 size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #333399; FONT-FAMILY: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">"Without
good and careful nursing many must suffer greatly, and probably perish, that
might have been restored to health and comfort, and become useful to
themselves, their families, and the public, for many years after."
~</SPAN></FONT><FONT face="Lucida Calligraphy" color=#333399 size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #333399; FONT-FAMILY: 'Lucida Calligraphy'; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial">Benjamin
Franklin
(1751)</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
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Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.19/1105 - Release Date: 11/2/2007 11:04 AM<BR>
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