Press

May 8, 2019

Milwaukee, WI-- A new report released by Citizen Action of Wisconsin shows that expanding BadgerCare will allow more Wisconsinites access to life-saving treatment in recovery from opioid addiction. This report demonstrates the price disparities between the expensive private insurance market and the more affordable BadgerCare market for medications to aid in recovery from this addiction, and the high cost of these drugs is a barrier to treatment for many of our neighbors and family members.

Candice Owley, RN, President of WFNHP said, “Nurses take an oath to protect and care for our patients and our communities.  I am here on nurse’s week to make clear that failure to expand BadgerCare is a death sentence for many in our state.  The cost of drugs for a person with no insurance or with a high deductible plan is cruel and immoral. No politician should be able to sleep at night knowing they had a chance to save lives but turned their back on their communities.”

March 26, 2019

Milwaukee, WI--For the second time in two weeks, a judge has sided with the people of Wisconsin against the partisan power grab committed by Wisconsin Republican legislators. Key elements of the lame-duck legislation limiting the power of the new governor and attorney general have once again been struck down and the will of the voters has been lifted.

The Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (WFNHP) joined with other unions, including American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin and Service Employees International Union, to file the lawsuit to successfully challenge the legislation.

WFNHP President and RN, Candice Owley, issued the following statement after today’s ruling:

“Today’s ruling is a win for the people of Wisconsin who fight every day for affordable and accessible healthcare. In 2018, voters made their stance clear: Wisconsin will stand up for democracy and not let the power of a few drown out the voices of many.

March 14, 2019

Milwaukee, WI— Today, Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin introduced legislation to protect health and social service workers from violence on the job. Her action came after hearing a passionate presentation by a Milwaukee nurse who had been violently injured on the job.

“Workplace violence is a daily reality in health care. Hospitals and other health care settings are centers for healing, but inside those walls, the people charged with caring for the sick are often victims of violence themselves,” said Candice Owley, President of the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals (WFNHP). “We can’t accept that violence is part of the job. Prevention is possible when systems are put into place to reduce the risk of violence. Thankfully, the bill introduced today by Senator Baldwin provides long-needed protections and enforceable safety standards for people who work in front-line health care jobs. As a union of health care professionals, we welcome this effort to finally make workplace-safety a priority.”

“Our health care and social services workers, and the people they serve, deserve to work and receive services in an environment free from workplace violence,” said Senator Baldwin. “I’m proud to lead this important effort to provide overdue protections and safety standards to a workforce that serves people during some of their most vulnerable moments. This bill promotes a healthy environment that is good for both workers and those they serve, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this important effort.”

February 27, 2019

Milwaukee, WI--Workplace violence is a daily reality in thealth care. Hospitals and other health care settings are centers for healing, but inside those walls, the people charged with caring for the sick are often victims of violence themselves.

"When health care workers show up to work, they shouldn't have to worry about whether a patient is going to hurt them. Violence should never be part of the job," said Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (WFNHP) President, Candice Owley.

This afternoon, WFNHP member, Patricia "Patt" Moon-Updike, RN, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives in support of the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1309).

February 18, 2019

Milwaukee, WI--“Governor Evers is doing the right thing for Wisconsinites by moving forward to legalize medical marijuana.

Families in Wisconsin deserve the right to legally access medical marijuana to alleviate a wide variety of symptoms related to medical conditions, such as cancer, glaucoma, and seizures. Patients that need medication should not be treated as criminals.

Access to medical marijuana is an especially important tool in our state’s battle to fight the opioid epidemic, which has needlessly destroyed the lives of too many. 

February 4, 2019

Madison, WI--The Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (WFNHP), a union of professional healthcare workers, joined the American Federation of Teachers– Wisconsin, Service Employees International Union, and the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers in the filing of a lawsuit challenging the partisan, sour grapes power grab by Wisconsin legislative Republicans.

Milwaukee, WI--“Thanks to Chairman Theodore Lipscomb and the entire County Board for realizing the need to end the relationship with these for-profit corporations that care more about profit than the health of the community. It is members of our community that reside in the correctional system and they deserve quality healthcare services--in fact it is their human right,” said Candice Owley, President of the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals.

Milwaukee, WI--Today's Supreme Court decision, the Janus ruling, impacts unions and union members across the country, but it means something unique to us in Wisconsin. We have endured attacks on our rights as working people over the last several years. Unfortunately, our union sisters and brothers across the country are now getting a taste of what we have faced. However, we have never stopped fighting for what our members and patients deserve--no matter what--and today will not weaken our resolve.

Four WFNHP RN’s—Libby Gabriel, Kitty Schroeder, Jorja Doherty and Pat Geiger--were among more than two dozen AFT nurses and health professional members who traveled to the Virgin Islands last week on a humanitarian mission to perform vision and hearing screenings for all the public school students on the islands.

The effort was part of AFT's comprehensive recovery assistance that it has been providing since hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the islands last September. The volunteer nurses were hosted by members of the St. Thomas-St. John Federation of Teachers and the St. Croix Federation of Teachers.

Kitty Schroeder, a registered nurse at the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, pictured performing a hearing test, shared her experience stating,

A statement from Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals President and AFT Vice President Candice Owley:

“As healthcare professionals, we must either help, or do no harm to, the patient. Sadly, our CDC director doesn’t abide by this same principle. Her financial conflict of interests put the work of the CDC and our entire healthcare system at risk—in the midst of the worst flu outbreak in recent history and a growing opioid epidemic.