Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/428960
ty precautions must be engaged for nurses and other frontline health workers who encounter patients with the deadly Ebola virus. "With the hospital industry dismissing the concerns of the nurs- es, and the federal government failing to order the hospitals to implement the optimal level of Ebola protection, California, under the stewardship of Gov. Brown, has heard the voices of nurses, and established a model that all should follow," said CNA Copresident Zenei Cortez, RN. Not only are the new guidelines a substantial step beyond exist- ing federal standards, the California rules are mandatory, with civil penalties for hospitals that fail to comply. In California, CNA will closely monitor hospital compliance with the guidelines, and work closely with Cal-OSHA on enforcement. In addition to Gov. Brown's leadership, the nurses also praised the diligent work of Cal-OSHA in developing guidance on the standards. The California regulations embody the precautionary principle NNU has advocated in response to Ebola: that absent scientific con- 14 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 N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4 Aug. 21: As Ebola surges in West Africa, first patients with Ebola symptoms seen in U.S. hospitals, NNU and CNA call on local, state, and federal officials to ensure hospitals adhere to highest protective standards. Sept. 1: NNU launches national RN survey of U.S. hospital readiness. Sept. 3: NNU announces drive to collect donations for Ebola protec- tive equipment for West African RNs and health workers Sept. 17: NNU announces donation of 1,000 hazmat suits for nurses and other health workers in Liberia. Sept. 24: 1,000 RNs hold a die-in in Las Vegas to dramatize lack of hospital response to improving Ebola safety standards. Sept. 30: With first confirmed U.S. case of Ebola, Thomas Duncan in Dallas, NNU announces first survey results showing most U.S. nurses not trained for Ebola response and hospitals lacking essential protective gear. Oct. 8: Thomas Duncan dies at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. Oct. 12: First U.S. nurse, Nina Pham, confirmed to be infected with Ebola. NNU/CNA hold protest with dozens of RNs in Oakland, Calif. to demand hospitals stop blaming nurses. Oct. 13: In Washington Post commentary, NNU Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro calls for nation to "listen to our nurses. Let's stop Ebola now and be better prepared for the next pandemic." Oct. 14: NNU hosts national press conference with statement from Dallas RNs about major lapses in Ebola protective equipment and protocols. Dallas RN Briana Aguirre, one of those on state- ment, does additional media interviews next day. Oct. 15: On national conference call with 11,000 RNs across U.S. to assess Ebola preparedness, NNU announces letter to President Obama calling for executive action to order hospitals to adopt optimal safeguards. NNU's HCA National Leadership Council holds die-in protest in Tampa, Fla. Second Dallas RN, Amber Vinson, tests positive for Ebola. Oct. 16: Major national profiles of NNU in the Washington Post and CQ Roll Call, the latter noting: "As American healthcare workers now confront the risk of Ebola here in the U.S., National Nurses United has taken center stage. They've been fighting to get better protection for nurses who treat Ebola patients—and doing a lot of things right." Timeline of NNU's campaign for Ebola Safeguards "Nurses have raised their voices, and California has now listened, acted, and once again set a bench - mark for the nation." —RoseAnn DeMoro, NNU and CNA Executive Director