Health Watch USA Logo Nurse and Healthcare Worker Advocacy  
 

    
Nurse AdvocacyNurse & Healthcare Worker Advocacy      
   

Back To COVID-19 Home Page

 
Health Care Worker Death and Disabililty
  
COVID-19: 900 HealthCare Workers Have Died Not Counting Those Disabled. Only One Doc. Is Tracking: https://www.wfla.com/8-on-your-side/investigations/doctor-documenting-all-health-care-workers-killed-by-covid-19-data-no-agency-is-accurately-tracking/ 

In Memoriam: Healthcare Workers Who Have Died of COVID-19 --A listing of all the workers who have died .
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/927976 

Medscape: US betrays healthcare workers
 https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/927811

More than 9,000 U.S. health-care workers have been infected with the coronavirus CDC report details how a Solano County, Calif., patient exposed 121 hospital staff, kicking off one of first-known cases of workplace transmission in the country
 https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/
14/coronavirus-healthcareworkers-infections/   

Healthcare Workers In N.H. Make Up A Quarter Of All COVID-19 Cases
https://www.nhpr.org/post/healthcare-workers-nh-make-quarter-all-covid-19-cases#stream/0 

Beaumont has 1,500 workers with coronavirus symptoms, including 500 nurses
 https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/
detroit/2020/04/06/beaumont-workers-coronavirus-symptoms-nurses/2959250001/   

734 Henry Ford workers test positive for COVID-19; Beaumont has 1,500 ill employees
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/
michigan/2020/04/06/over-600-henry-ford-health-workers-test-positive-covid19/2955929001/    
 
 
Worker Safety

Anguished nurses say Pennsylvania hospital risked infecting cancer patients, babies and staff with covid-19 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/04/
11/amid-chaos-anguished-nurses-say-pennsylvania-hospital-risked-infecting-cancer-patients-babies-staff

 

Worker Retaliation
  
Doctors and Nurses Beware: Hospitals Are Watching Your Facebook
 "Hospitals have long-standing policies barring staff from speaking to news media or requiring them to be accompanied by a public relations officer when they do. Arthur Caplan, a bioethics professor at NYU School of Medicine in New York City, said that extending these policies to social media sites raises ethical and moral questions."  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-06/doctors-and-nurses-beware-hospitals-are-watching-your-facebook 
 
Hospitals Tell Doctors They’ll Be Fired If They Speak Out About Lack of Gear
 "Hospitals are threatening to fire health-care workers who publicize their working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic -- and have in some cases followed through."  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-31/hospitals-tell-doctors-they-ll-be-fired-if-they-talk-to-press
 
Coronavirus in NJ: Jersey Shore hospital nurse fired as dispute over protective equipment flares
 "The Health Professionals and Allied Employees leaders filed complaints against Hackensack Meridian Health, which owns Jersey Shore, accusing the company of retaliating against Adam Witt, who, they said, was merely voicing the concerns of many of his colleagues."
https://www.app.com/story/news/health/2020/04/07/
coronavirus-nj-jersey-shore-hospital-nurse-fired-dispute-protective-equipment/2963609001/   
 
A Nurse Bought Protective Supplies for Her Colleagues Using GoFundMe. The Hospital Suspended Her.   https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/a-nurse-bought-protective-supplies-for-her-colleagues-using-gofundme-the-hospital-suspended-her/ar-BB12hQyq 
   
Nurse says she was suspended after refusing to treat coronavirus patients without a mask. 
CDC, nursing unions clash over mask policy
Courier Jounral:  "Maggie Roetker, Norton Healthcare’s director of public relations, said its hospitals have followed guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the “right mask for the right task.”
Citing a national shortage of N95 masks, the CDC last month said they should be reserved for the riskiest situations, such as intubations and respiratory treatments, where fine aerosol is likely to be generated, and that looser-fitting surgical masks be used for routine care. Nursing unions strongly opposed the relaxed guidelines. Until the change, CDC recommended that health care workers interacting with coronavirus patients or suspected cases wear N95 respirators, along with gowns, gloves and eye protectors. "
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020
/04/07/nurse-says-she-punished-refusing-work-without-n-95-mask/2960519001/  
 
Frightened Doctors Face Off With Hospitals Over Rules on Protective Gear
 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/health/hospitals-coronavirus-face-masks.html 

Hospitals Tell Doctors They’ll Be Fired If They Speak Out About Lack of Gear
 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-31/hospitals-tell-doctors-they-ll-be-fired-if-they-talk-to-press?fbclid=IwAR3BEq3ZSZ9mcworEwdt4UrpdkWIpOH7TN2HWW0fios3PaaVHAxboCFUeBU
     
 
Workers Compensation & Sick Leave
  
Nurses, doctors exposed to COVID-19 who miss work may lose their job under aid bill
Hospitals and other facilities could deny leave because of coronavirus-related emergencies
https://www.rollcall.com/2020/03/18/nurses-doctors-exposed-to-covid-19-and-miss-work-may-lose-their-job-under-aid-bill/  
  
 
Shortage of Nurses & Doctors
  
Staff of overrun N.J. hospital breaks down in tears after EMS comes to its rescue
https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2020/04/staff-of-overrun-nj-hospital-breaks-down-in-tears-after-ems-comes-to-its-rescue.html 

Detroit nurses told to leave after asking for more staffing.
https://www.facebook.com/arabianking313/videos/10222759815166354/
 
 
Shortage of Supplies:
 
America is running short on masks, gowns and gloves. Again.  July 8, 2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/
2020/07/08/ppe-shortage-masks-gloves-gowns/ 
 
Inspector general finds hospitals face 'severe' shortages of needed coronavirus supplies.  April 6, 2020.
 https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/491303-inspector-general-finds-hospitals-face-severe-shortages-of-needed 
     
Whitaker B. Sick doctors, nurses and not enough equipment: NYC health care workers on the fight against the coronavirus. Sixty Minutes. April 12, 2020.
 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/personal-protective-equipment-ppe-doctors-nurses-short-supply-60-minutes-2020-04-12/
  
How Did the U.S. End Up with Nurses Wearing Garbage Bags?
 The New Yorker:  https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/the-coronavirus-and-how-the-united-states-ended-up-with-nurses-wearing-garbage-bags

American Association of Critical-Care:   Lack of PPE Poses Clear and Present Danger
 https://www.aacn.org/newsroom/lack-of-ppe-poses-clear-and-present-danger  
 
Hospitals 'burning through' PPE to fight the coronavirus turn to 'extreme measures'
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2020/03/28/coronavirus-hospitals-turn-extreme-measures-find-ppe/2925721001/
 
How a shortage of face masks at KY hospitals makes some nurses feel like ‘collateral’  https://www.kentucky.com/news/coronavirus/
article241684456.html  
 
NYC nurses, clutching photos of dead colleagues, demand better protective gear on pandemic’s front line
 https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-coronavirus-protests-nurses-20200403-xueyxkt4fjb4tfwcrrajht5sim-story.html   
 
Protect ‘healthcare heroes’ from COVID-19, urges UN rights expert
 https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1060502
 
 

Attacks on Nurses Out of Fear They are Spreading Coronavirus.
 
https://abc7chicago.com/6074852/

 https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/health-wellbeing/coronavirus-australia-nsw-nurses-share-horror-stories-of-abuse-at-supermarkets-c-957463
    

 

This webpage is for guidance only, always consult your healthcare provider and the CDC Website for information before making decisions relating to the coronavirus.