Monroe nurses join national demand for more protective gear
MONROE Nurses at EvergreenHealth Monroe and across the country protested Thursday, calling on the federal government to provide more protective masks, gowns and other equipment needed on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
At 1 p.m., workers on breaks or switching shifts stood six feet apart outside the hospital, demanding President Donald Trump to use the full authority of the Defense Production Act to bolster the countrys supply of personal protective equipment. While reports are showing Snohomish County may have seen the worst of the virus in the last two weeks and that hospitals may not see a previously anticipated surge, health care workers say they are still treating COVID-19 patients and dont have enough gear to protect themselves.
We want to make sure that were not spreading any sort of sickness or disease from the patient to us and from us to other patients or people in our community, said Josh Tompkins, a certified nursing assistant at EvergreenHealth Monroe. When we reuse (equipment), theres that potential of the bacteria getting on to that, and then to our skin and onto someone else.
Ideally, staff would use new equipment each time they saw a patient, he said. Health care workers in Monroe are reusing one gown and mask throughout 12-hour shifts, and N95 masks are only used for certain treatments.
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