Natividad nurses plea for more personal protective equipment
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) Multiple nurses from Natividad hospital in Salinas pleaded with the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday for what they are saying is a shortage of personal protective equipment like masks during their work.
"I risk my life every day to do my job. COVID-19 is an infectious disease. I bring my risk home and I could expose my teenage boys and my husband. My whole family takes on that risk," said Jennifer Jean Pierre, a Natividad registered nurse. "I'm very scared. I give all my condolences and prayers to all the ones who have died and I also stand by the people who are caring for everybody who succumbed to COVID-19 and continue to do their job to fight this war that we have."
Strong emotions spilled out before the board during the public comment period, where the nurses implored county leaders to help bring more PPEs into local medical facilities on the front lines against the coronavirus.
"I say a prayer before I go into my incubated positive COVID-19 patient's room, who is very sick," said Jean Pierre. "I remind myself why I'm here and I take a deep breath and I walk into the room."
"Your constituents need us to stay healthy so that we can continue to serve them, whether they are coming for the COVID-related illnesses, traumas, labor and delivery, heart disease, organ failure, things that we do every day when we are limited as it is," said Sonya Cortes, another Natividad registered nurse.
Nationwide, doctors and nurses are being stretched thin as they continue treating people diagnosed with COVID-19. Some local nurses have already held protests over the lack of protective gear in Watsonville.
"From what I hear, the county's gotten more supply recently so I hope it actually gets to the frontline people as they're requesting. But we've been reassured by our county health department and Natividad hospital that those supplies have come," said Luis Alejo, a Monterey County supervisor.
County leaders say the limited number of supplies available to hospitals around the country are making it harder to gather them locally. Natividad sent KION a statement acknowledging the PPE shortages, but said they are taking steps to keep workers healthy including creating negative pressure units for all known or suspected COVID-19 patients, helping to preserve things like masks.
"As nurses, we want to be able to do our jobs, but we need the proper protection, equipment and training to do our job for safety," said Zoe Bachman, another register nurse.
