Minnesota Senator Erin Murphy in Rochester to receive award

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(ABC 6 News) – Senator Murphy was awarded the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Social Justice Award from the Minnesota Nurses Association.

It’s for her continued efforts to support Minnesota nurses.

Senator Murphy, a registered nurse and former leader of the MNA, has been a lead author on major healthcare and nursing policy legislation.

This includes the nurse and patient safety act passed during this previous session.

The award means a lot to her as she continues to fight for nurses in Minnesota.

“I want to make sure that they understand that I am hearing them, that I understand their concerns about the conditions under which they’re working, that I understand that we need to do more to retain our skilled nurses in our hospitals,” said Murphy.

She also talked about the Minnesota Department of Health’s adverse health event report.

The study found 572 adverse events in Minnesota hospitals resulted in 21 death, the most since 2006.

She points to workforce shortages as a prime factor for these incidents and strives to make hospitals a safe place for patients and nurses.