CARE WORKERS SAY THEIR HOSPITALS ARE SIMPLY NOT EQUIPPED FOR WHAT’S STILL TO COME. MEGAN: DURING A VIRTUAL NATIONAL NURSES UNITED PRESS CONFERENCE, HEALTH CARE WORKERS SHARED STORIES OF WHAT THEY’VE EXPERIENCED WHILE WORKING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. >> WHAT STARTED AS A SPRINT IS NOW A MARATHON, AND WE ARE MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY EXHAUSTED. >> I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HOLD THIS. >> FLORIDA IS A HOT MESS. MY HOSPITAL IS A HOT MESS. MEGAN: MARISSA LEE, A NURSE AT OSCEOLA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, SPOKE ABOUT THE LACK OF PPE, LACK OF STAFFING, AND LACK OF COMMUNICATION. >> CLOSED OF THE NURSES IN MY HOSPITAL -- MOST OF THE NURSES ONLY GET SURGICAL MASKS UNLESS THEY’RE CARING FOR PATIENTS CONFIRMED COVID POSITIVE. THEY GET A SINGLE-USE N95 RESPIRATOR THAT THEY WEAR FOR THEIR ENTIRE 24-HOUR SHIFT. MEGAN: SHE SAYS SHE’S WORKED AS A NURSE FOR MORE THAN 36 YEARS AND HAS NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH DISTRESS. >> THE STAFFING LEVEL HAS GOTTEN SO UNSAFE THAT NURSES ARE LEAVING. IN THE E.R., THEY’VE LOST 15 NURSES. MEDICAL-SURGICAL UNITS HAVE LOST 20. MEGAN: SHE ALSO SAYS THE HOSPITAL ISN’T KEEPING PATIENTS SEPARATE FROM THOSE WHO ARE COVID POSITIVE AND THEY AREN’T NOTIFYING NURSES WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXPOSED, THINGS SHE’S HOPING GET CORRECTED, BECAUSE, ACCORDING TO A STUDY BY REGISTEREDNURSING.ORG, WE’RE GOING TO NEED A LOT MORE NURSES IN THE FUTURE. THEY SAY BY 2030, THE NUMBER OF NURSES NEEDED IN THE UNITED STATES IS ESTIMATED TO GO FROM 2.8 MILLION TO 3.6 MILLION. IN OSCEOLA COUNTY, MEGAN MELLADO, WESH 2 NEWS. SUMMER: THE NATIONAL NURSES UNITED HAS A PETITION TO CONVINCE EMPLOYERS AND LAWMAKERS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF PATIENTS AND HEALTH CARE WORK
Nurses pleading for change as they work through COVID-19 pandemic
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Updated: 1:14 PM CST Nov 25, 2020
Marissa Lee, a labor and delivery nurse at Florida's Osceola Regional, says staffing has become such an issue throughout the pandemic that nurses are being floated into departments they’re not confident in working in.“Here I am, I’m 64 years old, I haven’t done medical/surgical in more than a decade. Actually, you know what, it’s been 30 years since I’ve done medical/surgical. I could run circles around any nurse in labor and delivery, but medical/surgical, absolutely not,” Lee said.Lee is part of the National Nurses United union and participated in a news conference Monday to discuss the ongoing stresses they’re facing, lack of personal protective equipment being one of those.“It’s the frustration of not having the proper equipment to take care of patients,” Lee said. Another concern is poor communication. She says nurses aren’t being notified if they’ve been exposed to the virus.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A statement provided to us from Osceola Regional says in part:“We have worked to consistently provide necessary staffing, equipment and supplies, such as personal protective equipment (PPE), to support our valued colleagues who are caring for our communities. Statements to the contrary pushed by union representatives are misinformed and inaccurate.”
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Marissa Lee, a labor and delivery nurse at Florida's Osceola Regional, says staffing has become such an issue throughout the pandemic that nurses are being floated into departments they’re not confident in working in.
“Here I am, I’m 64 years old, I haven’t done medical/surgical in more than a decade. Actually, you know what, it’s been 30 years since I’ve done medical/surgical. I could run circles around any nurse in labor and delivery, but medical/surgical, absolutely not,” Lee said.
Lee is part of the National Nurses United union and participated in a news conference Monday to discuss the ongoing stresses they’re facing, lack of personal protective equipment being one of those.
“It’s the frustration of not having the proper equipment to take care of patients,” Lee said.
Another concern is poor communication. She says nurses aren’t being notified if they’ve been exposed to the virus.
A statement provided to us from Osceola Regional says in part:
“We have worked to consistently provide necessary staffing, equipment and supplies, such as personal protective equipment (PPE), to support our valued colleagues who are caring for our communities. Statements to the contrary pushed by union representatives are misinformed and inaccurate.”
