National Nurses United

NewsBriefs:2 9/2/09 4:25 PM Page 4 NewsBriefs RNS SOUND THE ALARM ON SWINE FLU Above: RNs rally for proper swine flu precautions at University of California San Francsico Medical Center. Left: Karen Ann Hays, a Sacramento RN, was the first healthcare worker in California to die of H1N1. NATIONAL A number of distressing swine flu incidents, including the death of an RN and an infection cluster of RNs at one hospital, as well as troubling new survey results of hospital preparedness, are pushing CNA/NNOC registered nurses to raise the alarm about how unprepared hospitals across the country are for a second, likely more serious, round of swine flu when the virus explodes this fall. Several events this spring and summer have convinced nurses that they, as well as their patients, are at serious risk from the H1N1 virus. In July, Karen Ann Hays, a CNA/ NNOC registered nurse from Sacramento, became the first documented healthcare worker in California to die from swine flu. An oncology RN, Hays was 51, a triathlete and marathoner, and healthy. Her family believes she likely contracted the virus at work. On July 14, RNs at Sutter Solano Medical Center in Vallejo, Calif. went public about poor swine flu practices at their hospital after unsuccessfully trying to resolve problems with management. They filed a complaint with the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration against Sutter Solano for failing to provide and fit them with enough of the proper N95 respiratory masks that the Centers for Disease Control recommend. RNs at the hospital are actively caring for patients with swine flu, and 10 ICU nurses 4 REGISTERED NURSE have fallen ill with what their physicians say is "likely" H1N1. At one point, the hospital had asked RNs to reuse masks. State and federal officials are still investigating, but standards have improved dramatically since RNs spoke up. "Almost immediately, we had an infinite supply of masks in all sizes, with no limitation on use," said Sherry Ramsey, one of the ICU RNs who had fallen ill. "There's been more training for isolation techniques, and they're working on new signs for the rooms. It's been a very welcome change." And at University of California San Francisco Medical Center in August, more than 100 RNs protested the dismissal of an RN whom colleagues say was retaliated against after she complained that she had only been notified about a patient's swine flu status after caring for the person, and that she had contracted the virus from the infected W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G patient. "If you complain, if you speak out, UC's message is that they will retaliate," said James Darby, UCSF RN and chief nurse representative, at the rally. "My message to UC is that you may retaliate, but the nurses will not stop advocating for our patients." The RNs' experiences should not be surprising. A special survey of nearly 200 hospitals across nine states by CNA/NNOC conducted during August revealed that facilities are not prepared to handle H1N1 patients. RNs at 18 percent of hospitals surveyed have already suffered H1N1 infection. Nurses at 15 percent of hospitals said they lack the proper N95 respirator masks and at up to 40 percent of the hospitals, nurses were expected to The H1N1 situation is rapidly evolving, so visit the CNA/NNOC swine flu website page often at www.calnurses.org/swineflu. You'll find our position statement, alerts, resources, news reports, and calls to action. Check the latest CDC guidelines at www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidelines_infe ction_control.htm J U LY | A U G U S T 2 0 0 9

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