National Nurses United

8 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 NEWS BRIEFS MINNESOTA M innesota Nurses Association members urged the state and federal governments to live up to their responsibility to protect frontline healthcare workers at a Nov. 12 rally and candlelight vigil on the front lawn of the state Capitol in St. Paul. Frontline nurses and other healthcare workers braved the cold Minnesota weather as part of National Nurses United's Day of Action on Ebola to talk about their experi- ences and concerns about their hospitals' different levels of preparedness for caring for patients who may have infectious diseases, such as Ebola. Nurses said they are concerned that each hospital is preparing separately even though regulations that cover bloodborne diseases require impermeable protective equipment. "At my hospital, we do have some equip- ment and we have had some training—but it's just not enough," said Gail Olson, RN at Unity Hospital, which is one of four desig- nated Ebola hospitals in Minnesota. "Nurses keep asking the hospital for more because we know what we have is too little. Nurses want to care for every patient—with Ebola, any infectious disease, any health problem. We just need to know we have the equip- ment and training to safely care for our patients." "The state of Minnesota needs to enforce the [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] guidelines that are already in place against bloodborne diseases," MNA Vice President and Methodist Hospital RN Mary McGibbon told the crowd. "The law already says workers must be protected with protective equipment and training that's impermeable to fluids. If I'm soaked to the skin from a second-rate suit that doesn't do its job, I can't do my job. In fact, I can't do my job for at least 21 days. And if I'm not protected, my other patients aren't protect- ed either. What's the use in quarantining anyone if frontline workers aren't protected? If we can stop Ebola when it enters one hospital, we stop this disease from entering the rest of Minnesota. We all deserve to be protected." McGibbon encouraged nurses to file complaints with the state OSHA if they feel their workplaces are unprepared for Ebola or other infectious diseases. "You have the right to call and ask for inspectors to come to your hospital to see if the equipment and preparedness plans meet federal and state law," she said. "We're calling on government and hospi- tals to do the right thing: Provide the opti- mal equipment, training and staffing," said NNU Co-President Jean Ross, RN. "We just need to be sure we can take care of our patients safely—and go home to our families knowing we're not putting them in danger— or our neighbors and communities. We could care for Ebola patients without fear if government and hospitals just lived up to their responsibility to protect staff, patients, and the public. Protect RNs to protect patients—it's that simple." —Barbara Brady Minnesota RNs call on government to apply OSHA standards to Ebola prep Chair: Irma Westmoreland Vice Chair: Bonita Reid Secretary: Robyn Pegues Electioneer Committee: Sam Aldi, Tracy Griffin, Jacqueline Barker R E S U LTS F O R T H E 2 01 4 N N U -VA D I V I S I O N E L E C T I O N S

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