Nurses in Modesto, Turlock join national protest over protective coronavirus gear
Nurses in Stanislaus County joined in a national protest Friday calling for better protective gear while treating coronavirus patients.
The rallies took place during shift changes outside Doctors Medical Center in Modesto and Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock.
“In order to protect our patients, families and community, nurses need to have proper PPE while working,” said Raechel Bairos, a registered nurse at Emanuel, in a news release ahead of the action.
PPE stands for personal protective equipment – the masks, gloves, coveralls and other gear needed when working with people infected with COVID-19.
Management’s response
A spokesperson for Tenet Healthcare, which owns both hospitals, said only about a dozen nurses turned out at each protest among the 1,300 or so at Doctors and nearly 400 at Emanuel.
“The safety of our patients and staff is our most important priority,” the company said by email. “We follow the guidelines recommended by (the California Department of Public Health) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for appropriate PPE use and conservation. We have enough supplies at Doctors Medical Center and Emanuel Medical Center to safely treat our patients and protect our staff. Our team is continuing to source around the world for additional supplies.”
Nursing union
The California Nurses Association, a labor union, organized the protests with National Nurses United. They noted that May 1 is International Workers Day, also known as May Day. Such events were planned at 139 hospitals in 13 states.
Organizers noted that more than 60 nurses across the country have died of the virus.
“Nurses signed up to care for their patients,” said CNA Executive Director Bonnie Castillo. “They did not sign up to sacrifice their lives on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
As of Thursday evening, 13 residents of Stanislaus County had died from the virus out of 374 positive tests, the county Health Services Agency said.
Tenet’s statement added: “We are proud of our physicians, nurses and other staff who, like their fellow caregivers across the nation, demonstrate their commitment and dedication every day while caring for our patients during this unprecedented pandemic.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 2:13 PM.
