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Nearly 70 Department of Veterans Affairs nurses rallied in front of the department's Washington, D.C., headquarters Thursday to protest staffing cuts they say are hurting the quality of veterans' medical care. The nurses, from 23 VA medical facilities across the country, called the expected reduction of 10,000 jobs in the Veterans Health Administration a "hiring freeze." However, VA officials have said the cuts are coming as a result of attrition and retirements and that hiring will continue for short-staffed, critical positions. (Kime, 6/6)

Starting June 1, hospitals were required to have approved a staffing plan that meets a minimum of one nurse for every two patients in intensive care units and one nurse for every five patients in surgical units where patient conditions are generally less acute. Staffing ratios are allowed to be laxer during the night shift when many patients are sleeping. The Oregon Health Authority is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the new law and investigating any allegations of violations. The state agency said since the law was passed it has received hundreds of complaints, many of which have come in since the new staffing plans went into effect June 1. (Giardinelli, 6/7)

�鶹Ů�� Health News' 'What The Health?' Podcast: Nursing Home Staffing Rules Prompt Pushback

The nursing home industry — as well as a healthy number of Congress members — are all pushing back on the Biden administration’s new rules on nursing home staffing. Industry officials say that there are not enough workers to meet the requirements and that the costs would be prohibitive. Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill are trying to force Republicans to explain their exact positions on assuring access to contraceptives and in vitro fertilization. (Rovner, 6/6)

A wave of labor organization continues among doctors, residents and fellows as more than 3,000 have joined unions so far this year, driven by worries about burnout, administrative burden and inadequate patient care. Doctors and support staff are seeking contracts across organizations that ensure reduced workloads and more one-on-one patient care time. However, where doctors want more decision-making power, residents are pushing for better benefits and higher pay. (Devereaux, 6/6)

Amid recent unionization efforts, ChristianaCare has parted ways with two executives who oversee the primary-care physician and specialty-care practices across its network that spans three states. ChristianaCare officials confirmed to the Delaware Business Times that ChristianaCare Medical Group President Lisa Maxwell and Chief Medical Officer Roger Kerzner have “left the organization.” (Tabeling, 6/5)

Demoralized doctors and nurses are leaving the field, hospitals are sounding the alarm about workforce shortages and employees are increasingly unionizing and even going on strike in high-profile disputes with their employers. Why it matters: Dire forecasts of health care worker shortages often look to a decade or more from now, but the pandemic — and its ongoing fallout — has already ushered in a volatile era of dissatisfied workers and understaffed health care facilities. (Owens, 6/7)