Protests planned at local hospitals. Nurses say they aren’t protected from COVID-19
Nurses at Blake Medical Center are set to stage a protest early Thursday morning in response to the unfair working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a release.
Organizers with the National Nurses United, a union that represents nurses, say some employees at the hospital have been ordered to put their lives on the line. One employee was sent home after using an N95 mask that they brought from home, and another was ordered to enter the same room as a possible COVID-19 patient without wearing a mask.
Protests will be held across the nation at 15 HCA Healthcare hospitals. Registered nurses at Doctors Hospital of Sarasota, where 18 have been quarantined because a negative pressure room wasn’t working properly, have a demonstration scheduled for Thursday evening, according to a release.
“Nurses at various HCA hospitals are reporting that they have had to work without proper protective equipment,” Jean Ross, president of National Nurses United, said in a prepared statement.
“Nurses say they are not informed when they (are) exposed to an infected patient,” Ross added. “They are told to unsafely reuse masks and at one hospital they are even being told not to wear masks because it ‘scared the patients.’”
The union, which represents 10,000 nurses in seven states, demands that HCA hospitals provide “optimal personal protective equipment for nurses and other staff,” a release said.
In a statement provided to the Bradenton Herald Wednesday afternoon, Doctors Hospital refuted the claims made my their nurses.
“The information contained in the National Nurses United press release is not true. This is not the time to create conflict and dissension within healthcare organizations that are doing everything possible to protect caregivers and patients,” said Monica Yadav, director of marketing and public relations for Doctors Hospital of Sarasota.
“This is the time to depend on each other, trusting that we are doing everything possible for each other to come together and deliver on our mission,” she added.
In a similar statement provided Wednesday evening, Lisa Kirkland, director of marketing at Blake Medical Center, also said the union’s comments were “not accurate.”
“The health and safety of Blake Medical Center’s caregivers and patients continues to be our highest priority. We have implemented various enhancements throughout this rapidly developing crisis to protect our employees and physicians, ensuring we are able to continue serving our patients and community,” Kirkland said.
If you are a nurse or other medical professional with concerns about how hospitals and other medical facilities in the Bradenton area are responding to the coronavirus pandemic, you can email metro@bradenton.com or anonymously at bradentonherald@protonmail.com
This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 10:55 AM.
