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California Nurses Association protest in Oakland against lack of protective gear
Last Friday, I watched around 4 first responders from a fire truck in Oakland respond to the needs of someone that was hauled off to the hospital. I was shocked that the first responders were not wearing any protective gear or N95 respirators. Barely three days later, nurses from the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United held a protest Monday evening March 23, in front of Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. They protested against the lack of protective gear and weakening of standards by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) needed to protect them from getting sick during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic spreading across the nation. I believe that the first responders from Oakland's Fire Department should have joined the nurses at their protest!
California Nurses Association protest in Oakland against lack of protective gear
By Lynda Carson - March 24, 2020
Oakland - Nurses from the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United held a protest Monday evening March 23, in front of Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. They protested against the lack of protective gear and weakening of standards by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) needed to protect them from getting sick during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic spreading across the nation.
“It is outrageous for the CDC to tell hospitals that nurses and other health care workers don’t need the maximum protective gear to prevent them from getting sick during this pandemic,” said Bonnie Castillo, RN, executive director of National Nurses United. “This is why it is imperative for Congress to act immediately to include HR 6139—without any weakening amendments—in the third COVID-19 stimulus.
“When nurses and doctors get sick from this virus who is going to be left to take care of the public?” she continued. “If they don’t want the entire health care system to collapse, Congress must act immediately to protect the frontline health care providers.”
According to a press release, “National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses, sent a petition to the US Congress today with a quarter of a million signatures demanding that Congress ensure that nurses and health care workers are immediately given the protections they need to avoid exposure to COVID-19.
The union, which represents more than 155,000 registered nurses across the country, called on Congress to mandate that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration promulgate an emergency temporary standard for health care workers in the third COVID-19 stimulus package currently being negotiated.
The standard is embodied in HR 6139/S. 3475, the COVID-19 Health Care Worker Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). It would mandate an emergency temporary OSHA standard so that frontline health care workers treating COVID-19 patients have the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to prevent them from contracting the virus themselves.”
In contrast, earlier on the same day of March 23, the impeached President Donald J. Trump implied that he was anxious to end the coronavirus protective shelter-in-place orders and social distancing requirements occurring in many different parts of the nation. Additionally, Trump tweeted, “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!
Reportedly, due to the coronavirus, Trump was forced to shut down some of his businesses in the United States, including the Mar-A-Lago Hotel because of the social distancing requirements meant to protect people from the virus.
Meanwhile, according to a press release from the California Nurses Association and the National Nurses United, “Currently, in hospitals across the country, nurses, doctors, and other health care workers are being told to care for potential and confirmed COVID-19 patients without adequate PPE. Employers are also failing to ensure safe staffing levels and to provide adequate education and training on patient care and protections for COVID-19 patients. Further, there is an inadequate amount of isolation rooms needed for safe patient care for COVID-19 patients.
To make matters worse, the Centers for Disease Control has told hospitals that it’s permissible for health care workers treating potential and confirmed COVID-19 patients to wear surgical masks and even scarves and bandanas despite the fact that surgical masks, scarves, and bandanas do nothing to prevent health care workers from contracting the virus. Nurses point out that N95 respirators are the minimum personal protective equipment necessary for health care workers to remain safe.”
According to reports, the coronavirus cases have passed 381,000 globally, with more than 35,000 cases in the United States, including around 541 deaths in the U.S. There have been 42 deaths in California linked to coronavirus, and around 106 coronavirus cases in Alameda County as of two days ago.
Despite the protests, shelter-in-place orders, including the fear and panic spreading across the nation, reportedly on Monday March 23, “Trump very strongly hinted that he planned to ease federal guidance on social distancing at the end of his administration’s “15 Days to Slow the Spread” initiative, which ends next Monday, despite an expected explosion of reported cases as tests for coronavirus become more widely available.”
Meanwhile, it was also reported that the impeached President Donald J. Trump claimed that he will over-see the GOP $500 billion corporate slush fund that the corporate billionaires are pushing for.
This is despite the fact that the Trump family has been accused of ripping off the Secret Service while they have been protecting the Trump family.
Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com
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By Lynda Carson - March 24, 2020
Oakland - Nurses from the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United held a protest Monday evening March 23, in front of Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. They protested against the lack of protective gear and weakening of standards by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) needed to protect them from getting sick during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic spreading across the nation.
“It is outrageous for the CDC to tell hospitals that nurses and other health care workers don’t need the maximum protective gear to prevent them from getting sick during this pandemic,” said Bonnie Castillo, RN, executive director of National Nurses United. “This is why it is imperative for Congress to act immediately to include HR 6139—without any weakening amendments—in the third COVID-19 stimulus.
“When nurses and doctors get sick from this virus who is going to be left to take care of the public?” she continued. “If they don’t want the entire health care system to collapse, Congress must act immediately to protect the frontline health care providers.”
According to a press release, “National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses, sent a petition to the US Congress today with a quarter of a million signatures demanding that Congress ensure that nurses and health care workers are immediately given the protections they need to avoid exposure to COVID-19.
The union, which represents more than 155,000 registered nurses across the country, called on Congress to mandate that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration promulgate an emergency temporary standard for health care workers in the third COVID-19 stimulus package currently being negotiated.
The standard is embodied in HR 6139/S. 3475, the COVID-19 Health Care Worker Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). It would mandate an emergency temporary OSHA standard so that frontline health care workers treating COVID-19 patients have the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to prevent them from contracting the virus themselves.”
In contrast, earlier on the same day of March 23, the impeached President Donald J. Trump implied that he was anxious to end the coronavirus protective shelter-in-place orders and social distancing requirements occurring in many different parts of the nation. Additionally, Trump tweeted, “WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!
Reportedly, due to the coronavirus, Trump was forced to shut down some of his businesses in the United States, including the Mar-A-Lago Hotel because of the social distancing requirements meant to protect people from the virus.
Meanwhile, according to a press release from the California Nurses Association and the National Nurses United, “Currently, in hospitals across the country, nurses, doctors, and other health care workers are being told to care for potential and confirmed COVID-19 patients without adequate PPE. Employers are also failing to ensure safe staffing levels and to provide adequate education and training on patient care and protections for COVID-19 patients. Further, there is an inadequate amount of isolation rooms needed for safe patient care for COVID-19 patients.
To make matters worse, the Centers for Disease Control has told hospitals that it’s permissible for health care workers treating potential and confirmed COVID-19 patients to wear surgical masks and even scarves and bandanas despite the fact that surgical masks, scarves, and bandanas do nothing to prevent health care workers from contracting the virus. Nurses point out that N95 respirators are the minimum personal protective equipment necessary for health care workers to remain safe.”
According to reports, the coronavirus cases have passed 381,000 globally, with more than 35,000 cases in the United States, including around 541 deaths in the U.S. There have been 42 deaths in California linked to coronavirus, and around 106 coronavirus cases in Alameda County as of two days ago.
Despite the protests, shelter-in-place orders, including the fear and panic spreading across the nation, reportedly on Monday March 23, “Trump very strongly hinted that he planned to ease federal guidance on social distancing at the end of his administration’s “15 Days to Slow the Spread” initiative, which ends next Monday, despite an expected explosion of reported cases as tests for coronavirus become more widely available.”
Meanwhile, it was also reported that the impeached President Donald J. Trump claimed that he will over-see the GOP $500 billion corporate slush fund that the corporate billionaires are pushing for.
This is despite the fact that the Trump family has been accused of ripping off the Secret Service while they have been protecting the Trump family.
Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com
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