Health Policy
Surviving COVID-19: When Nurses Need Advocates By Janice M.PHILLIPS, PHD, RN, CENP, FAAN
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken the world by storm leaving no nation untouched. For the first time in over 100 years, nurses in the United States are experiencing in real time what it is like to be on the front lines serving during a pandemic. Not since 1917-1918 has the United States’ health care system been tasked to meet the health care needs of its residents during such a widespread and deadly infectious disease outbreak.
S
imilar to nurses across the globe, nurses in the United States are providing direct care to some of the nation’s sickest patients affected by the virus. Each day nurses report to duty, placing themselves in harm’s way by increasing their personal risk for becoming infected by the COVID-19. The ability to apply personal protective equipment (PPE), whenever needed, is absolutely imperative in helping to mitigate the risk of exposure to any infectious disease. With COVID-19 cases surpassing one million in the United States and over 72,000 deaths nationwide, the ability to have access to life protecting equipment and supplies cannot be overemphasized. However, of concern are the recent reports that nurses in some settings across the country do not have appropriate access to PPE as recommended by leading public health authorities. Building on their strong history of advocating on behalf
of patients and the profession, nurses are now expanding their efforts to advocate for themselves and other nurses on the front lines during the current
Legislation
pandemic. Nurses across the country have started mobilizing and protesting to shed light on the criticality of the lack of PPE in their respective workplaces.
Provisions
Status
The American Nurses Association and other professional nursing organizations such as the National Black Nurses Association have
Comments
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, And Economic Security (The CARES ACT)
$16 B to the Strategic National Stockpile
Passed
To be immediately used to purchase PPE and other life saving supplies
H.R. 6406 American-Made Protection for Health Care Workers and First Responders Act
Requires federal government to include PPE into the national stockpile as well as procure such equipment from U.S. sources.
Proposed
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/ bills/116/hr6406
One of the first pieces of legislation to be introduced this Congressional session on 3/24/2020.Similar pieces of legislation may be forthcoming.
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