<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!--
  ============================================================
  Google News Sitemap — The Nursing Directory
  ============================================================

  Format: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/news-sitemap

  RULES
  - Only articles published within the LAST 48 HOURS belong here.
    Google News ignores anything older.
  - The publish helper script (publish-news-article.js) prunes
    entries older than 48h every time it runs.
  - Articles also get added to the main sitemap.xml where they
    stay permanently.
  - Headline must be ≤110 characters (Google News requirement).
  - Language is en (US).
  - Publication name must exactly match the brand.

  This file is referenced from robots.txt alongside sitemap.xml.
-->
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"
        xmlns:news="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-news/0.9">

  <!-- NEWS_ENTRIES_START -->
  <url>
    <loc>https://thenursingdirectory.com/news/medicaid-work-requirements-nursing-hospitals-july-2026</loc>
    <news:news>
      <news:publication>
        <news:name>The Nursing Directory</news:name>
        <news:language>en</news:language>
      </news:publication>
      <news:publication_date>2026-07-20T08:30:00-06:00</news:publication_date>
      <news:title>Medicaid Work Requirements Take Effect as Safety-Net Hospitals Warn of Nursing Staffing Impacts</news:title>
      <news:keywords>Medicaid work requirements 2026, Medicaid cuts nursing, Hennepin Healthcare layoffs, safety-net hospital Medicaid, nursing staffing Medicaid, H.R.1 Medicaid, One Big Beautiful Bill nursing</news:keywords>
    </news:news>
  </url>
<url>
    <loc>https://thenursingdirectory.com/news/cms-nursing-home-staffing-campaign-200m</loc>
    <news:news>
      <news:publication>
        <news:name>The Nursing Directory</news:name>
        <news:language>en</news:language>
      </news:publication>
      <news:publication_date>2026-07-20T08:00:00-06:00</news:publication_date>
      <news:title>CMS Launches $200M Nursing Home Staffing Campaign — Up to $40K for New CNAs and RNs</news:title>
      <news:keywords>CMS nursing home staffing, CMS $200 million workforce campaign, nursing home tuition reimbursement, CNA stipend 2026, nursing home nurse recruitment, long-term care staffing shortage</news:keywords>
    </news:news>
  </url>
<url>
    <loc>https://thenursingdirectory.com/news/cgh-medical-center-first-contract-afscme-2026</loc>
    <news:news>
      <news:publication>
        <news:name>The Nursing Directory</news:name>
        <news:language>en</news:language>
      </news:publication>
      <news:publication_date>2026-07-19T08:00:00-04:00</news:publication_date>
      <news:title>CGH Medical Center Workers Ratify First Contract After 5-Year Organizing Fight</news:title>
      <news:keywords>CGH Medical Center union contract, AFSCME Council 31 Illinois, nursing contract ratification 2026, Sterling IL nurses union, hospital workers first contract, charge nurse differential</news:keywords>
    </news:news>
  </url>
<url>
    <loc>https://thenursingdirectory.com/news/cms-nursing-home-risk-based-survey-sept-2026</loc>
    <news:news>
      <news:publication>
        <news:name>The Nursing Directory</news:name>
        <news:language>en</news:language>
      </news:publication>
      <news:publication_date>2026-07-19T07:30:00-04:00</news:publication_date>
      <news:title>CMS Launches Risk-Based Survey Model for Top-Performing Nursing Homes, Starting September 8</news:title>
      <news:keywords>CMS risk-based survey, nursing home inspection 2026, CMS nursing home oversight, RBS model, five-star nursing home, Care Compare, nursing home survey reform</news:keywords>
    </news:news>
  </url>
<url>
    <loc>https://thenursingdirectory.com/news/umass-memorial-nurses-strike-authorization</loc>
    <news:news>
      <news:publication>
        <news:name>The Nursing Directory</news:name>
        <news:language>en</news:language>
      </news:publication>
      <news:publication_date>2026-07-18T07:00:00-04:00</news:publication_date>
      <news:title>1,233 UMass Memorial Nurses Vote to Authorize 14-Day Strike</news:title>
      <news:keywords>UMass Memorial nurses strike, MNA strike vote, Worcester nurses strike, Massachusetts nurses 2026, nursing strike authorization</news:keywords>
    </news:news>
  </url>
<url>
    <loc>https://thenursingdirectory.com/news/montefiore-ai-nurse-layoffs-nysna</loc>
    <news:news>
      <news:publication>
        <news:name>The Nursing Directory</news:name>
        <news:language>en</news:language>
      </news:publication>
      <news:publication_date>2026-07-18T07:00:00-04:00</news:publication_date>
      <news:title>Montefiore Lays Off 12 Nurses, Cites AI Replacement — NYSNA Files Class-Action Grievance</news:title>
      <news:keywords>Montefiore nurses layoff, AI nurse replacement, NYSNA grievance, Datavant AI, utilization review nurses, nursing AI displacement</news:keywords>
    </news:news>
  </url>
  <!-- NEWS_ENTRIES_END -->

</urlset>
