Ten nurses from California have been suspended after refusing to treat coronavirus patients due to the lack of N95 face masks.
According to the National Nurses Union, the officials at Santa Monica’s Providence Saint John’s Health Center suspended ten nurses for refusing to work on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19 because they didn’t have the proper equipment.
As the union insisted, the nurses requested N95 face masks, which are more effective in stopping coronavirus than surgical masks, to ensure safety while at work.
Allegedly, however, the nurses’ pleas were dismissed as the officials insisted that N95 masks weren’t necessary for them to do their job.
According to the union, all ten nurses have been suspended pending an investigation by the human resources department.
Meanwhile, countless healthcare workers across the country are facing a shortage of PPE whereas some are resorting to buying supplies from third-party sources or making their own versions in an attempt to protect their health while saving lives.
In another unrelated case, a New Jersey nurse working at the ICU got suspended after using money donated via GoFundMe to purchase protective equipment and distributing the PPE to her colleagues.
Olga Matievskaya of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center was in charge of a fundraising team consisting of twelve other health workers who aimed to collect funds to buy PPE.
“PPE are desperately and urgently needed for health care frontliners staff in ICU/CCU. Money will be used to order overalls, shoe covers, masks, filters for respirators, sanitizers and wipes,” the team wrote.
After raising some $12,000, Matievskaya ordered several hundred face masks and caps, as well as thousands of shoe covers, from eBay.
Once the PPE arrived, the nurse distributed it to her colleagues at the hospital only to face a backlash and suspension from the management.
As ProPublica have reported, the medical center’s spokesperson explained that the nurse was temporarily suspended for “inappropriately distributing unauthorized medical supplies.”
“No employee is allowed to distribute unauthorized medical supplies within the hospital,” the officials insisted.
As one of the nurse’s colleagues claimed after the suspension took place, all that the staff wants is sufficient PPE to “give these patients the optimal care that they need.”
“We understand this is what we signed up for. Just provide us with sufficient [PPE] so we can give these patients the optimal care that they need, and so we aren’t contaminating others or ourselves,” they said.
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Replaced!