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Ten California nurses suspended for refusing to work without N95 masks
Nurses in Santa Monica refused to care for Covid-19 patients after they say hospital didn’t provide essential protective gear
Associated Press
Fri 17 Apr 2020 08.20 BST First published on Fri 17 Apr 2020 01.50 BST
Nurses at Providence Saint John’s health center in Santa Monica raise their fists in solidarity after telling managers they can’t care for coronavirus patients without N95 masks. Photograph: Lizabeth Baker Wade/AP
Nurse Mike Gulick was meticulous about not bringing the coronavirus home to his wife and their two-year-old daughter. He’d stop at a hotel after work just to take a shower. He’d wash his clothes in Lysol disinfectant.
But at Providence Saint John’s health center in Santa Monica, California, Gulick and his colleagues worried that caring for infected patients without an N95 respirator mask was risky. The N95 mask filters out 95% of all airborne particles, including ones too tiny to be blocked by regular masks. But hospital administrators said they weren’t necessary and didn’t provide them, he said.
work without adequate protection. Some have taken part in protests or lodged formal complaints. Others are buying or even making their own supplies.
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention don’t require N95 masks for Covid-19 caregivers, but many hospitals are opting for the added protection because the infection is extremely contagious. The CDC said Wednesday at least 9,200 healthcare workers have been infected.
Saint John’s said that, as of Tuesday, it was providing N95 masks to all nurses caring for Covid-19 patients and those awaiting test results. Its statement said the hospital had increased its supply and was disinfecting masks daily.
“It’s no secret there is a national shortage,” said the statement. The hospital would not comment on the suspended nurses.
a critical shortage of medical supplies including N95s, which are mostly made in China. In response, the CDC lowered its standard for healthcare workers’ protective gear, recommending they use bandanas if they run out of the masks.
Nurses protest against the lack of equipment in front of the UCLA medical center in Santa Monica on 13 April. Photograph: Étienne Laurent/EPA
Some healthcare workers are taking to the streets.
On Wednesday, nurse unions in New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, California and Pennsylvania scheduled actions at their hospitals and posted on social media using the hashtag #PPEoverProfit. PPE, or personal protective equipment, refers to items such as masks and gowns.
Nurses at Kaiser Permanente’s Fresno medical center in California demanded more protective supplies at a protest during their shift change Tuesday. The hospital, like many in the US, requires nurses to use one N95 mask per day, which has raised concerns about carrying the infection from patient to patient.
Ten nurses from the facility have tested positive, Kaiser said. Three have been admitted to the hospital, and one is in critical care, protest organizers said. Wade Nogy, a Kaiser senior vice-president, denied union claims that nurses have been unnecessarily exposed.
“Kaiser Permanente has years of experience managing highly infectious diseases, and we are safely treating patients who have been infected with this virus, while protecting other patients, members and employees,” Nogy said.
Amy Arlund, a critical care nurse at the facility, said that, before the pandemic, following infection control protocols they’re currently using would have been grounds for disciplinary action.
“And now it’s like they’ve thrown all those standards out the window as if they never existed,” Arlund said. “It’s beyond me.”
In the midst of a global crisis…
… the truth is a powerful tool. The news has rarely been so relentless, so bewildering. Which is why we at the Guardian dedicate time for every story we publish to checking and double-checking what is true and what is not. With so much misinformation out there, this already-disorientating crisis can be difficult to navigate. As an independent news organisation, we make it our mission to deliver honest, unbiased, accurate journalism.
You’ve read 6 articles in the last six months. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to reliable news and explanation. So, unlike many others, we made a different choice: to keep Guardian journalism open for all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This would not be possible without the generosity of readers, who now support our work from 180 countries around the world.
We have upheld our editorial independence in the face of the disintegration of traditional media – with social platforms giving rise to misinformation, the seemingly unstoppable rise of big tech and independent voices being squashed by commercial ownership. The Guardian’s independence means we can set our own agenda and voice our own opinions. Our journalism is free from commercial and political bias – never influenced by billionaire owners or shareholders. This makes us different. It means we can challenge the powerful without fear and give a voice to those less heard.
Your financial support has meant we can keep investigating, disentangling and interrogating. It has protected our independence, which has never been so critical. We are so grateful.
We need your support so we can keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent. And that is here for the long term. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
Nurses in Santa Monica refused to care for Covid-19 patients after they say hospital didn’t provide essential protective gear
Associated Press
Fri 17 Apr 2020 08.20 BST First published on Fri 17 Apr 2020 01.50 BST
Nurses at Providence Saint John’s health center in Santa Monica raise their fists in solidarity after telling managers they can’t care for coronavirus patients without N95 masks. Photograph: Lizabeth Baker Wade/AP
Nurse Mike Gulick was meticulous about not bringing the coronavirus home to his wife and their two-year-old daughter. He’d stop at a hotel after work just to take a shower. He’d wash his clothes in Lysol disinfectant.
But at Providence Saint John’s health center in Santa Monica, California, Gulick and his colleagues worried that caring for infected patients without an N95 respirator mask was risky. The N95 mask filters out 95% of all airborne particles, including ones too tiny to be blocked by regular masks. But hospital administrators said they weren’t necessary and didn’t provide them, he said.
work without adequate protection. Some have taken part in protests or lodged formal complaints. Others are buying or even making their own supplies.
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention don’t require N95 masks for Covid-19 caregivers, but many hospitals are opting for the added protection because the infection is extremely contagious. The CDC said Wednesday at least 9,200 healthcare workers have been infected.
Saint John’s said that, as of Tuesday, it was providing N95 masks to all nurses caring for Covid-19 patients and those awaiting test results. Its statement said the hospital had increased its supply and was disinfecting masks daily.
“It’s no secret there is a national shortage,” said the statement. The hospital would not comment on the suspended nurses.
a critical shortage of medical supplies including N95s, which are mostly made in China. In response, the CDC lowered its standard for healthcare workers’ protective gear, recommending they use bandanas if they run out of the masks.
Nurses protest against the lack of equipment in front of the UCLA medical center in Santa Monica on 13 April. Photograph: Étienne Laurent/EPA
Some healthcare workers are taking to the streets.
On Wednesday, nurse unions in New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, California and Pennsylvania scheduled actions at their hospitals and posted on social media using the hashtag #PPEoverProfit. PPE, or personal protective equipment, refers to items such as masks and gowns.
Nurses at Kaiser Permanente’s Fresno medical center in California demanded more protective supplies at a protest during their shift change Tuesday. The hospital, like many in the US, requires nurses to use one N95 mask per day, which has raised concerns about carrying the infection from patient to patient.
Ten nurses from the facility have tested positive, Kaiser said. Three have been admitted to the hospital, and one is in critical care, protest organizers said. Wade Nogy, a Kaiser senior vice-president, denied union claims that nurses have been unnecessarily exposed.
“Kaiser Permanente has years of experience managing highly infectious diseases, and we are safely treating patients who have been infected with this virus, while protecting other patients, members and employees,” Nogy said.
Amy Arlund, a critical care nurse at the facility, said that, before the pandemic, following infection control protocols they’re currently using would have been grounds for disciplinary action.
“And now it’s like they’ve thrown all those standards out the window as if they never existed,” Arlund said. “It’s beyond me.”
In the midst of a global crisis…
… the truth is a powerful tool. The news has rarely been so relentless, so bewildering. Which is why we at the Guardian dedicate time for every story we publish to checking and double-checking what is true and what is not. With so much misinformation out there, this already-disorientating crisis can be difficult to navigate. As an independent news organisation, we make it our mission to deliver honest, unbiased, accurate journalism.
You’ve read 6 articles in the last six months. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to reliable news and explanation. So, unlike many others, we made a different choice: to keep Guardian journalism open for all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This would not be possible without the generosity of readers, who now support our work from 180 countries around the world.
We have upheld our editorial independence in the face of the disintegration of traditional media – with social platforms giving rise to misinformation, the seemingly unstoppable rise of big tech and independent voices being squashed by commercial ownership. The Guardian’s independence means we can set our own agenda and voice our own opinions. Our journalism is free from commercial and political bias – never influenced by billionaire owners or shareholders. This makes us different. It means we can challenge the powerful without fear and give a voice to those less heard.
Your financial support has meant we can keep investigating, disentangling and interrogating. It has protected our independence, which has never been so critical. We are so grateful.
We need your support so we can keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent. And that is here for the long term. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
