MN nurses promise to file OSHA complaints for Ebola unpreparedness
Nurses hold candlelight vigil for front-line workers at State Capitol
(St. Paul) - Nurses of the Minnesota Nurses Association will file complaints with the state if they feel their workplaces are unprepared for Ebola or other infectious diseases.
Nurses and and other healthcare workers urged the state to live up to its responsibility to protect front-line healthcare workers at a rally and candlelight vigil on the front lawn of the State Capitol tonight.
"You have the right to file a complaint with the Minnesota OSHA," said Mary McGibbon, MNA vice president and Methodist Hospital RN. "You have a 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. "
Front-line nurses and other healthcare workers spoke about their experiences and concerns about their hospitals' different levels of preparedness for caring for patients who may have infectious diseases like 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 equipment and we have had some training – but it’s just not enough," said Gail Olson, RN at Unity Hospital. "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 equipment and training to safely care for our patients."
The rally and candlelight vigil are part of the National Day of Ebola Preparedness organized by National Nurses United, when thousands of nurses and other healthcare workers across the country are holding public events to demand optimal protective equipment, training, and staffing to make sure healthcare workers are safe as they care for their patients.
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Unity Hospital RN Gail Olson
Methodist Hospital RN Mary McGibbon
National Nurses United Co-President Jean Ross
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About MNA:
With more than 20,000 members in Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, MNA is the leading organization for registered nurses in the Midwest and is among the oldest and largest representatives of RNs for collective bargaining in the nation. Established in 1905, MNA is a multi-purpose organization that fosters high standards for nursing education and practice, and works to advance the profession through legislative activity. MNA is an affiliate of National Nurses United.
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About NNU:
National Nurses United, with close to 185,000 members in every state, is the largest union and professional association of registered nurses in U.S. history.
NNU was founded in 2009, unifying three of the most active, progressive organizations in the U.S. - and the major voices of unionized nurses - in the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, United American Nurses, and Massachusetts Nurses Association. |
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