National Nurses United

In 1982, Congress designated the VA as the backup to the nation's private-sector health care system. Yet, in recent years, there's been an accelerated effort to privatize the VA and move veterans into the private sector. As part of these privatization efforts, VA hospitals and facilities are chronically understaffed as positions are left unfilled. In April, the entire VA had more than 44,000 vacant positions, with some 5,400 of those in the five boroughs of New York City. So, while numerous studies show the VA provides some of the highest quality of care in the country, when the pandemic hit, the RNs at the Brooklyn VA were working in a unit that was already short on staff. Recognizing the impending crisis that COVID-19 presented, National Nurses United reached out to the VA administration in early February asking what protocols and plans they were putting into place in case of a mass influx of patients. Notably, the VA did not respond to the union's request for information. Yet, speaking before the House Committee on Veteran's Affairs on Feb. 27, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said the VA was prepared to address a major outbreak and did not need additional funds for training or personal protective equipment (PPE). "We are testing our processes as we speak, we are making sure our supply chain is full," said Wilkie. When pressed about staffing, the secretary added, "Right now, we are set." But in fact, the VA was not "set." Within days, VA nurses in hot spots across the country found themselves thrust into COVID units without proper training, without clear protocols, and without adequate PPE. Across the VA system, health care workers were told to reuse masks and N95 respirators. In Chicago, a lack of gloves led the VA to instruct the RNs to reuse gloves after washing them with a disinfectant gel. In Augusta, nurses were told to use surgical masks instead of N95s while treating COVID patients. In Manhattan, the lack of gowns and other PPE made for tense situations as nurses, doctors, and other health care workers were forced to haggle with one another over the use of the sparse supplies. Amid the chaos, infection rates among VA staff swelled. Nurses struggled to care for their critically ill patients. "We are working under terrible conditions, dangerous conditions," Lobifaro told a reporter. "We need more RNs now." On Mar. 27, as the lack of staffing became dire, the VA put out a call for retired doctors and nurses to help out on the front lines. Incredibly, Dr. Richard Stone, the VHA executive in charge, released a video saying, "In those communities hit hard by this infection, there are plenty of supplies and there is plenty of support." The reports from nurses on the front line belied these assertions, as did an Office of Inspector General report released days before Stone's com ments. The investigators found that 60 percent of VA medical facilities lacked the proper supplies and equipment to protect employees and patients. 24 N A T I O N A L N U R S E W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G A P R I L | M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 0 NNU sends letter to CDC on dangers of decontaminating N95 respirators APRIL 3 1.3 million cases worldwide, 81,106 deaths in 177 countries APRIL 7 42 states have shelter-in-place orders APRIL 7 Minnesota passes bill providing COVID-19 presumptive eligibility to nurses, health care workers, and first responders APRIL 8 "I will go in to care for a COVID patient with a bandana when the head of the CDC comes in with me." Maria Lobifaro, RN Manhattan VA nurses

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