nurse New York
New york state edition | june 2020
Nurses speak out against racism
pp. 5-8
2
New York Nurse june 2020
Trauma
N By Judy SheridanGonzalez, RN, NYSNA President
Advocating for patients. Advancing the profession.SM Board of Directors President Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, RN, MSN, FNP judy.sheridan-gonzalez@nysna.org First Vice President Anthony Ciampa, RN anthony.ciampa@nysna.org Second Vice President Karine M. Raymond, RN, MSN karine.raymond@nysna.org Secretary Tracey Kavanagh, RN, BSN tracey.kavanagh@nysna.org Treasurer Nancy Hagans, RN nancy.hagans@nysna.org Directors at Large Anne Bové, RN, MSN, BC, CCRN, ANP anne.bove@nysna.org Judith Cutchin, RN judith.cutchin@nysna.org Seth Dressekie, RN, MSN, NP seth.dressekie@nysna.org Jacqueline Gilbert, RN jackie.gilbert@nysna.org Robin Krinsky, RN robin.krinsky@nysna.org Lilia V. Marquez, RN lilia.marquez@nysna.org Nella Pineda-Marcon, RN, BC nella.pineda-marcon@nysna.org Verginia Stewart, RN verginia.stewart@nysna.org Marva Wade, RN marva.wade@nysna.org Regional Directors Southeastern Yasmine Beausejour, RN yasmine.beausejour@nysna.org Southern Sean Petty, RN sean.petty@nysna.org Central Marion Enright, RN marion.enright@nysna.org Lower Hudson/NJ Jayne Cammisa, RN, BSN jayne.cammisa@nysna.org Western Chiqkena Collins, RN chiqkena.collins@nysna.org Eastern Vacant Executive Editor Pat Kane, RN, CNOR Executive Director Editorial offices located at: 131 W 33rd St., New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212-785-0157 Email: communications@nysna.org Website: www.nysna.org Subscription rate: $33 per year ISSN (Print) 1934-7588/ISSN (Online) 1934-7596 ©2020, All rights reserved
urses are traumatized. Whether we live in a region decimated by COVID-19, or live in fear of its deadly visit to our neighborhoods, we know that the organizations designed to protect us--government, regulatory agencies, and hospitals--failed miserably at this task and, inexplicably, seem not to have learned from their mistakes. Extraordinary economic hardships, due to the job losses that accompanied the social protections essential to prevent the spread of the virus, have further traumatized our communities. Many families live in terror of eviction, foreclosure and starvation. Additionally, alcohol and substance use, chronic pain symptomatology, domestic violence, depression, suicide, and loneliness have all increased exponentially. Statistics indicate that communities of color overwhelmingly compose those hardest hit by these two crises—data not so shocking to many. This is the backdrop in which we viewed recorded incidents of violence against African Americans, sometimes committed by rogue police or self-described vigilantes. George Floyd’s killing was a reminder of the virulent racism on the streets of our cities more than a half century since the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Trauma (as defined) can overwhelm an individual’s ability to cope, cause feelings of helplessness, and can diminish the ability to feel the full range of emotions. As a result of such trauma, varying forms of PTSD are prevalent, not only in the caregiver community, but in communities historically at a disadvantage in pursuing “the American Dream.” And when such trauma is identified, examined and analyzed; when exists the will and energy to address the root causes, to right the wrongs that precipitated the trauma, to engage in the painful process of healing, and correcting, and moving forward—the world can be turned on its head. And so the floodgates are opened and we all are forced to stop; to see things either through a different lens or to recognize the
“Rather, ten times, die in the surf, heralding the way to a new world, than stand idly on the shore.” –Florence Nightingale possibilities of finally addressing the social wrongs that have haunted us, as a nation, for centuries. Likewise, it provides health care workers with an opportunity to challenge the status quo; to refuse to accept management’s dictates, incompetence, posturing, lack of transparency and casual disregard for our protection that dominated the health care landscape in the age of COVID.
Nurses are the first to tell the public that no one can else can comprehend the enormity of what caregivers were subjected to over the past few months. And we are also very clear that we cannot survive, will not accept, a repeat of the nightmares that dominated our lives: the fear of dying, the terror of harming our own families, the anxieties related to working without training and tools, knowing that human lives were in our hands. Or the COVID-related symptoms we ourselves suffered, the loss of colleagues, relatives and neighbors, the isolation, the sheer exhaustion, the anger and the guilt, the frustration and the hopelessness. No, we cannot possibly endure a repeat of this. And yet, it appears that hospitals have learned little. They continue to move forward, ignoring our input and concerns. In their rush to move on to elective surgeries and revenue-generating procedures, they seek waivers
from state guidelines, are again scrimping on PPE, have reduced rather than enhanced staffing, and refuse to collaborate around our educational needs. Instead, they choose to force staff to engage in abbreviated modules that serve to cover their minimal liability concerns but do little to support practitioners’ learning needs, confidence and competencies. In fact, they are using the pandemic as an excuse to implement destructive programs that were on the books prior to the advent of COVID. They’re closing beds and services that don’t generate profits, such as psychiatry and pediatrics—without a guarantee to bring these services back. They’re moving ahead with plans to close hospitals and entire wings. They’re ignoring our communities’ needs and our members’ expressed concerns. Addressing the triple pandemics of COVID-19, Economic Inequities and Structural Racism requires courage, cooperation, communication, education and determination. We need to reject paradigms that impose austerity and the shuttering of programs that enhance our quality of life. We have to demand fair taxation so that the super-wealthy pay their share. We must ensure that our employers listen to the people who saved lives, not the bean counters who saved money—at a human cost that is unfathomable. And we are compelled, together, to finally put an end to institutionalized racism, the plague of our history, that is embedded within every single social system of our nation.
NEW YORK NURSE june 2020
In harm’s way
O
n March 23, as the coronavirus crisis was gaining momentum in New York, the state ordered hospitals to increase their capacity by at least fifty percent. Wealthy private hospitals started emptying out psychiatric units under the auspices of this effort. For these hospitals, it was a golden opportunity to enhance their bottom line. There would be no regulatory hurdles under the governor’s executive orders. There are huge disparities in provider payments between physical and mental health. The inpatient rate for treating depressive neuroses is $4,429. By comparison, the cost for common cardiac care ranges from $28,000 to $86,000. Acute inpatient treatment of psychosis is $1,351 per bed per day; for a hip replacement, its $9,084. We know that the need is enormous. More than 1.6 million New Yorkers live with serious psychological or mental distress. Twelve percent of all New Yorkers have experienced a substance use disorder.
Not enough services, beds or providers For those in need of acute care, New York has only 52% of the inpatient beds needed to treat people with severe mental illness, according to the Treatment Advocacy Center, and that was pre-COVID. Since 2013, the state has lost over 40,000 inpatient behavioral health bed days available at NYS Article 28 hospitals, purportedly a move towards more and better outpatient services to
help mitigate the need for inpatient care. In an effort to ensure access to care, New York State and Federal laws were enacted over a decade ago requiring health insurance plans to cover mental health and substance use disorder treatment the same way they cover all other medical treatment, creating “parity” between the coverage of mental and physical illness. Realization of the promise of parity is impossible to achieve when disparities in reimbursement rates are allowed to persist and there simply are not enough services, beds or providers available. What good is having insurance coverage if there’s no place to get the needed care?
Balanced care model As nurses, we understand the need for a balanced model of care to treat people with mental health problems. In balanced care, services are provided by RNs and other trained professionals in a variety of community settings, as close to the population being served as possible, mobile crisis intervention is available, and inpatient admissions can be arranged promptly when necessary. This model employs psychiatric-mental health nurses to utilize their essential skills – no de-skilling!—and to mentor novice nurses in this specialty, a model now in danger of being derailed by “COVID-19 surge plans”. Pre-COVID, and without necessary outpatient services in place, private hospitals had already started shedding mental health services. In NYC, the burden of care
fell on public hospitals. There was a 20% increase in mental health discharges in 2017 at NYC Health + Hospital facilities, according to the NYC Independent Budget Office. Now many private behavioral health units, fully operational before COVID, remain shuttered or have transitioned to other types of care, guaranteeing an increase in new patients at already overburdened public hospitals.
Under the COVID-19 cloak Northwell, for one, had applied—pre-COVID—to close its behavioral health unit at Syosset, and was turned down. Now, under the cloak of COVID-19, the threatened closure is back on, a golden opportunity to add even more to the coffers of the biggest healthcare system in New York State, with net income of $671 million in 2019. Other hospitals have followed suit. [See sidebar.] When “unprofitable” services are cut by wealthy private healthcare systems, public hospitals in NYC and safety nets downstate and upstate must fill this void. What exactly does that void look like? “Just last weekend I was caring for 16 psych patients in the ER and 15 of them need in-patient care,” says Kevin Pantin, RN, a psychiatric-mental health nurse at Lincoln Medical Center, one of 11 public hospitals in NYC. “But we closed two in-patient psych units during the COVID surge and they have not been re-opened. So the 15 patients had to be sent elsewhere. They are making changes without giving us a full explanation. It is despairing. Our psych care is critical to the communities we serve.” And when those services can’t meet the need? “Patients,” reported New Yorker magazine on April 23, “then go to transitional facilities, and those facilities began discharging patients sooner than planned— often sending them to residential programs or halfway houses, where they would be most at risk for the coronavirus infection, and in all cases sending them into the community at a terrifying time.”
Prison and jails
NYSNA members and supporters calling for mental health equity and other pressing issues at the doors of the NYS Department of Health, Albany, February 17, 2018.
Worse case, patients end up on the street or in jail—guaranteed to exacerbate their illness. Prisons Continued on page 11
By Pat Kane, RN, NYSNA Executive Director
We are calling on the following facilities to fully reopen their behavioral health units: 1) Northwell Syosset 2) New York-Presbyterian Methodist 3) New York-Presbyterian Allen 4) Health Alliance Hudson Valley
3
4
New York Nurse june 2020
The crisis within the crisis
covid-19’s deadly racial disparities
T
he COVID crisis has laid bare the deep racial inequalities in the nation’s healthcare system, and the consequences of decades of disinvestment in New York’s safety net. Unfortunately, it’s taken months to get most states—and the Centers for Disease Control—to report COVID-19 statistics by race, so we are just beginning to understand the scale this racially disparate impact. The data paint a sobering picture. As of mid-June, unadjusted COVID-19 death rates for African Americans nationally were twice that of whites. In New York, Blacks and Latinos were killed by COVID-19 at two and a half times the rate of whites. These racial inequalities are even worse when taking account of age
differences within the population. For example, according to the latest data from the CDC African Americans between the ages of 35 to 44 were killed by COVID-19 at a rate 10 times higher than their white peers while Latinos in the same age bracket died at a rate 8 times higher than whites.
It’s not biology or “bad habits” What’s driving the intense racial disparities with COVID-19? Whether it’s heart disease or COVID-19, we know there is no genetic or biological basis for racially disparate health outcomes. Indeed, they are a product of a host of other material differences such as access to care, employment, housing, exposure to pollution, and the availability of nutritious, healthy foods. Collectively, these social determinants of health are the driving force behind observed racial disparities, including many of the comorbidities so commonly viewed as the product of individual choices.
Social determinants of health One clear example is the fact that African American, Latino, and Asian workers make up a greater proportion of the state’s essential workers. According a recent report from the Center for Economic Policy Research, African Americans made up a third of New York’s public transit workforce and a quarter of the healthcare workforce, while comprising only 14 percent of all workers in the state. Another factor is that working age African Americans are 50 per-
(Left) Unadjusted COVID-19 Death Rates (per 100,000). Data for the U.S. and New York are taken from the investigative journalism website covidtracking.com, downloaded June 18, 2020. Calculations for the U.S. are based on the 41 states reporting data by race, where fewer than 15 percent of deaths were unclassified. COVID-19 death rates for New York City are calculated based on data from the New York City Department of Health, downloaded on June 18, 2020.
cent more likely to be uninsured that white New Yorkers. The situation is even worse for Latinos, who are nearly 3 times more likely to be uninsured than white New Yorkers according to the latest Census data. Housing is another important consideration. In the Bronx, which now has the highest rate of COVID-19 in the state, most people live in apartments, and according to the latest data from New York City, 68 percent of the borough’s apartments have maintenance defects. Then there are environmental factors. For example, the South Bronx is also home of some of the worst air quality in the country. The neighborhood of Mott Haven is sometimes called “asthma alley” because the high rate of emergency room visits for asthma.
Healthcare policy deprives communities of color These community-level factors have only been exacerbated by healthcare policy decisions at the state and federal level. For example, New York has shuttered dozens of safety net hospitals across the state in the past 20 years, leaving many of the hardest hit communities without the healthcare infrastructure they needed to care for COVID patients during the surge. During this same period of time, the state has starved the remaining safety net hospitals of more than $13 billion in funding dedicated to charity care, directing these resources instead to wealthy private hospitals who have very few Medicaid or uninsured patients. The same pattern can be seen with the distribution of funds from the Federal CARES Act to help New York hospitals handle the surge. Northwell Health, the state’s largest hospital system received $1.1 billion in federal aid, while only 25% of their patients were Medicaid patients. By contrast, the 11 public hospitals that comprise New York City Health and Hospitals, received only $775 million from the CARES Act, despite the fact that 60% of their patients were Medicaid patients.
NEW YORK NURSE june 2020
Nurses call for racial justice
O
n May 25, George Floyd, an African American, died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes, ignoring Floyd’s pleas that he could not breathe. Video of Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests, including in New York, where tens of thousands mobilized to say, “Black Lives Matter.” On June 3, the NYC Health+ Hospitals/Mayorals Executive Council passed a resolution condemning Floyd’s killing. They announced that NYSNA members at NYC H+H/Mayorals would organize actions in Floyd’s memory and in solidarity with the larger racial justice movement, set for Tuesday, June 9, the day of Floyd’s funeral.
The movement grows Across NYC H+H, nurses took leadership in organizing these actions. They brought together colleagues, so that CNAs, residents, doctors, administrative staff, and more—encompassing union sisters and brothers from 1199SEIU, CWA, AFSCME DC37 and others—participated. The mobilization spread, with nurses and others across the state taking it upon themselves to be a visible part of the racial justice movement. The
Kings County nurses rally on June 9.
actions were a combination of vigils for the lives lost to racist violence, protests against systemic racial inequality, and a chance for nurses and other healthcare workers to speak directly about the impact of racism on their patients and their own communities.
Nurses lead with words and action Ultimately, nurses led actions at Maimonides Medical Center, Erie County Medical Center, Bellevue Hospital, Jacobi Hospital, Queens Hospital, Kings County Hospital, Lincoln Hospital, Harlem Hospital, Coney Island Hospital, One Brooklyn Health, Bellevue Woman’s Center in Schenectady, Flushing Hospital, Montefiore Medical Center, New YorkPresbyterian, St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, and Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside. Albany Medical Center nurses, rallying for a fair contract and against destructive austerity measures, also marched with the Movement for Black Lives in Troy. It’s clear to nurses that our fight for fully funded and equitable healthcare is connected to the larger fight against racial inequality. The breadth and depth of NYSNA actions represented the largest mobilization of healthcare workers for racial justice New
York has seen in decades. Through these actions, we demonstrated the resolve of nurses, who turned out even after our exhausting battle against COVID-19. At each action, nurses spoke powerfully to the crowds assembled. Nurses of color spoke about the discrimination they faced both in and out of scrubs. Others linked the healthcare disparities we see in our profession to the institutional racism in society. And many connected the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on African American communities to the larger devaluing of black lives. Here are NYSNA nurses in their own words speaking about why we, in the healthcare profession, are called upon to fight racism. These are just some of the speeches and statements presented by nurses, at numerous actions across the state, in recent weeks. Continued on page 6
Syosset Hospital Executive Committee Resolution in support of H+H/Mayorals actions for racial justice.
5
6
New York Nurse june 2020
Nurses call for racial justice Continued from page 5
Michelle Jones, NP – Flushing Hospital, Queens
St. John’s Riverside in Yonkers, where nurses held a moment of silence for victims of racist violence. The countless number of rallies, vigils, and moments of silence nurses have organized across the state show that in our union, no one is alone in their fight for justice.
“We are here to stand in solidarity with communities of color, with our nation, and the greater global community to fight racist inequality and injustice. As a person of color my education and profession do not pardon me from judgment and bias based on my racial identity. As care providers we are here to advocate for our patients, for quality healthcare and adequate nutrition, and to break down the barriers that continue to reinforce inequalities. “We must not remain silent when we see racial discrimination and inequality. We should all reflect on ways our roles in society contribute, and engage in active communication and finding solutions that promote equity. This begins with our coworkers, within our individual communities, by actively
Michelle Jones, NP
participating in community board meetings and with our local legislators. This should start the wheels of government to respond in eradicating racial prejudice, bias, and inequality from our society. “Black lives matter. All lives matter. We believe in human rights, acceptance, and equality for all.”
The NYSNA nurses of Montefiore Hospital put out a statement supporting NYC H+H nurses’ actions for racial justice, from which the following is excerpted. “As nurses caring for the Bronx, we have seen firsthand how Black lives are devalued, by our employer and throughout our healthcare system. “Systemic racism is shot through our criminal justice system, our education system, our housing system, and our healthcare system. We are in solidarity with everyone who works to challenge and dismantle these systems of oppression. We affirm what should have never been in question—Black Lives Matter.
“We join the call to end the longstanding inequalities in healthcare funding that disadvantage public hospitals and other systems that serve Black communities, to fight against budget cuts and hospital closures that target majority Black communities like Mount Vernon, and pledge to challenge our employers and government to devote the resources and planning necessary to stem the horrific Black mortality we experienced in the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis. Together, we are one union.”
Montefiore nurses were joined by educators with “Teachers Against Police Brutality” signs at their vigil.
Ari Moma, RN – Interfaith Medical Center. Ari spoke after the crowd at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center knelt in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the duration of time Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd’s neck during which he died. “I don’t know if you felt the pain in your knees while you were kneeling. Can you imagine that on a human being? That is outrageous. That is something we should not condone in this country. “America is supposed to be the land of the free. But it’s not the land of the free for people like me, who might have this color. For how long do we allow that to continue? Why do we have two constitutions in one country—one for the police, and one for the minorities? Why does that exist? “I have two black kids. And every time they are outside, I’m worried. It’s not only me. Every parent worries. Your kid, your niece, your nephew...anybody that goes outside, you are worried until they get back into the house. We have to do something. “Being on your knees for eight minutes and 46 seconds: that is what Floyd endured. That’s what a police officer did—knelt on a human being. Police every day, they’re killing us. Few get to the news. And how many of those police officers have been prosecuted or arrested? “We’ve got to leave a legacy for our children. The time has come when we’ve got to stop hiding. Come out and make your voice heard.”
Ari Moma, RN, Interfaith Medical Center, speaks at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center
NEW YORK NURSE
7
june 2020
Bellevue Hospital nurses and colleagues
The NYSNA nurses of Plainview Hospital, Bethpage, NY “The blatant disregard of human life by several police officers across this nation has not only brought to light the need for change in police tactics and more education in ways to deescalate situations without resorting to violence; but the actions of a few have tarnished the badge of all those officers who serve and protect while building relationships with the communities they serve and putting them and others in harm’s way. [...] The NYSNA Executive Committee and nurses at Plainview Hospital stand in solidarity with the current movement to end police violence and make a reality the self-evident truth that Black Lives Matter. As nurses, we treat ALL persons equally, without bias, centered in caring for their whole body’s health and wellness.”
Betty Jean, RN – NYC H+H Bellevue Hospital “As a black woman of Haitian descent injustice is all too familiar to me. The inequality we have endured for hundreds of years is manifesting itself in current events. They are all the same struggles that our parents, our forefathers fought for centuries ago. It is distressing to see in this day and age racism and inequality
among us, still alive. This is evidenced by the countless lives that have been lost due to systemic racism in this country, that permeated the justice system and thus our law enforcement. As a healthcare professional currently fighting the deadly virus COVID-19, I also continue to fight the virus of racism.”
“We are NYSNA nurses fighting Covid-19 on the job and fighting racism off the job,” Bridget Walsh, RN, Southside. Pictured above (L-R): St. Catherine RN Marissa D’andrade, Southside RNs Charnette Ferrill, Christine Marno, Bridget Walsh and Northwell Valley Stream RN Joyce St. LeFleur
Kings County Hospital nurses Makedi Guy, Stephanie Demorcy, Sharee Sinkler, and Cereka Smith joined demonstrations on June 4 in Brooklyn calling for police accountability in New York. “We’ve been fighting for a very long time. It’s sickening that we still have to keep fighting this way,” they said. “Black lives DO matter. [At Kings County] we work in a community that is predominantly Black. We have to stand up for each other and let the world know we’re here to make a change. Nurses at the bedside have power.” Continued on page 8
Kings County RNs at a rally for police reform in Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, June 4.
8
New York Nurse june 2020
Nurses call for racial justice Continued from page 7
The NYSNA nurses of the New Jewish Home
The scene in front of ECMC where staff observed 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence in memory of George Floyd and in solidarity with the movement for racial justice.
“The NYSNA nurses at The New Jewish Home will stand hand in hand with Health + Hospitals to fight to make Black lives matter in healthcare by stopping horrific budget cuts to safety-net healthcare institutions like NYC Health + Hospitals and long term care facilities like ours fighting against all disparities in healthcare that disproportionately affect Black lives such as discriminate pain control, sickle cell care, and the profound lack of mental healthcare and fighting for more resources for NYC Health + Hospitals and long term care facilities so that NYC’s healthcare system will be better prepared to handle the next wave of COVID-19, and decrease Black mortality through more testing and tracing and more effective treatment of underlying conditions.”
Lenore Granich, RN, at Albany Medical Center, where nurses have been fighting against an intransigent management for a contract that provides safe patient care. “We cannot gather here today without first acknowledging recent events. Namely the over 100,000 American lives lost to COVID-19 and the overdue mass support and protests for the Black Lives Matter Movement to fight for freedom, liberation, and justice for our brothers and sisters of color in the wake of George Floyd’s senseless death. We as nurses know very well how fragile and precious life is and we stand in firm solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement. We stand in firm solidarity for social justice
Members of the Executive Committee and nurses of Mount Sinai Morningside and Mount Sinai West “We, the members of NYSNA’s Executive Committee at Mount Sinai Morningside and West Hospitals, stand in solidarity with our colleagues from NYC Health + Hospitals. We have also seen firsthand the devastating effects of systemic racism on our family members and our patients. The NYSNA nurses at Mount Sinai Morningside and West stand in solidarity with the current movement to end police violence and to make a reality the self-evident truth that Black Lives Matter.”
and an immediate end to violence and systemic racism towards the African American community. Albany Medical Center is the largest private employer in the Capital District. It also has one of the most racially diverse workforces in the region. On Friday, our new CEO, Dr. McKenna, issued a statement addressing recent events and his ‘commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity’ within Albany Medical Center. He stated he is committed to listening to and learning from members of his minority workforce. We all know the power of words; however they are meaningless without action. Dr. McKenna, your nurses, who make up one of Albany Med’s largest groups of minority workers, still continue to fight for a fair contract in order
to provide for their families. Your nurses—the majority of which are women and a number of which are people of color—are hurting. Your nurses, Dr. McKenna, are struggling to provide for their families and have been crying out for justice for over two years now. Your nurses, Dr. McKenna, have been begging for the inclusion and equity you vowed to ensure. We ask you now, in front of our beloved Albany Medical Center, to honor your commitment and put your words to action by giving us a contract that ensures a fair wage, an ethical benefits package, and a respectful seat at the table so we can—as you said—take this journey forward together. Dr. McKenna, show us you are a man of your word and do the right thing by your nurses!”
NEW YORK NURSE june 2020
Pride Month progress and setbacks
J
une is Pride month— a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, recognize how far the community has come in the struggle for equal rights, and how much further we have to go. LGBTQ+ people saw a major victory this month, when the Supreme Court ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It was the single biggest legal victory in the history of the LGBTQrights movement.
The Supreme Court ruling The court heard arguments in the three cases—two originally brought by gay men and one brought by a transgender woman—on October 8th of last year. “Few facts are needed to appreciate the legal question we face,” wrote Justice Neil Gorsuch. “Each of the three cases before us started the same way: An employer
fired a long-time employee shortly after the employee revealed that he or she is homosexual or transgender—and allegedly for no reason other than the employee’s homosexuality or transgender status.” This ruling will help protect LGBTQ+ nurses and other workers from discrimination in the workplace. There have been too many recent examples of people being fired because they came out as gay or transgender at work.
Protecting our patients' rights This is a great step forward, but there is more work to do to ensure the rights of LGBTQ+ patients are protected, too. On June 12, the anniversary of the Pulse night club shooting in Orlando where 49 LGBTQ+ people were brutally gunned down, the Trump administration announced it was rolling back protections for transgender patients. Under the new rule, a trans person could be refused medical care—whether that care
is related to gender transition or not.
Proud to care for all New Yorkers Healthcare works best when everyone feels safe to access it and receives high-quality, affirming care. Allowing providers to discriminate against trans patients goes against nurses’ fundamental principle of “do no harm.” Especially in the age of COVID-19 when we want to stem the spread of the pandemic, we need to expand care, not exclude people. “I’m proud to work for a healthcare system, NYC H+H/Mayorals, that has come out against this ruling and has made a commitment to continuing to provide quality care to LGBTQ+ New Yorkers,” said Judith Cutchin, RN. “We need to continue advocating for more access and more culturally competent care for all of our diverse communities. We should always be working towards less discrimination in healthcare, not more.”
Approximately 15,000 marchers attend Black Trans Lives Matter rally in Brooklyn, June 14.
From our members in Westchester County On June 17, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order No. 204: Declaring Juneteenth a Holiday for New York State Employees. June 19, 1865 was the date African Americans across the state of Texas were made aware of their right to freedom, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. In honor of our diverse Westchester County workforce and in recognition of Juneteenth, Westchester County will follow the actions of Governor Cuomo. June 19, 2020 will be a holiday for County employees, who, if not required to work, shall be entitled to leave at full pay without charge to existing accruals and for those employees who are required to work, they shall receive one day of compensatory pay.
9
10
albany medical center
New York Nurse june 2020
Listen to the nurses
O
n June 7, more than 200 nurses and community supporters lined New Scotland Avenue in front of the hospital to demand that Albany Med invest in the Capital Region’s health and commit to a safe reopening of elective surgeries. Nurses expressed concern about how Albany Med cut nurses’ hours at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, made people use their benefit time while at home on call, and then took punitive financial action against nurses, withholding scheduled wage increases for the year.
Is this how you honor COVID heroes?
Albany Med: Listen to your nurses!
The austerity measures came as Albany Med received nearly $40 million from the CARES Act, and a $90 million advance from CMS. The administration claimed to save $1.4 million from their travel, entertainment and miscellaneous budget in the month of April alone—which would have paid for nurse salary increases twice over. “We sacrificed so much during the height of the COVID pandemic, and in return, Albany Med punished us by withholding our annual wage increases,” said Jaimie Alaxanian, RN. “Some nurses can’t even afford health insurance.”
Hours cut, benefits taken Alaxanian was shifted from her usual vascular unit to a COVID19 unit to help during the surge, but she is concerned about who will replace her on the COVID
Nurses form a line in front of Albany Medical Center
Healthcare justice is enough nurses and resources to care for our community.
unit when she moves back. Safe staffing on every unit has yet to be achieved, and many nurses are still working reduced hours. Nurses’ hours were dramatically cut back when Albany Med temporarily halted elective surgeries. Instead of calling it a furlough, Albany Med created a “Stand-by Leave” pool and a “Labor Pool” of nurses who rarely worked, but yet were unable to volunteer their skills to help with the COVID-19 surge downstate. Although Albany Med claimed that Labor Pool nurses were being paid during this time, they were actually deducting CLT/ PL/PTO benefit time from nurses’ paychecks. This sleight of hand ultimately meant that 600 nurses lost a combined total of more than 11,000 hours of benefit time. “During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was waiting by the phone most days, waiting to
put my skills to use,” said Cheryl Ryan Niskayuna, RN, who has been a nurse for more than 20 years—15 at Albany Med. “I knew that it was wrong when Albany Med started deducting my benefit time, and I’m just glad that we have NYSNA to push back and win back that time and money that’s owed to us.”
Reopening and respecting nurses Nurses expressed concern about the safety protocols lacking at Albany Med as the hospital reopens for surgeries. So far, nurses have been shut out of the planning process, despite their efforts to contribute their skills and experience. COVID-19 will be here for the foreseeable future, and nurses around the state want hospitals to be more prepared for a second surge than they were for the first. Now is not the time to limit health resources and drive away nurses from the bedside. Albany Med nurses are heading back to the bargaining table and continuing to advocate for themselves and their patients at the bedside. Alaxanian concluded, “We’ve been waiting too long—for a fair contract, for adequate staffing, for adequate PPE, to be involved in decision-making at a very basic level. In order to make this a lifetime job as a nurse, and a place where we can all feel proud to work, we have to do something to make a change. Albany Med needs to start listening to its nurses!”
St. Elizabeth’s fight back
NEW YORK NURSE
11
june 2020
Utica nurses demand safe staffing
S
ince nurses from St. Elizabeth Medical Center lined the Parkway in Utica on National Nurses Day, calling for an end to staffing cuts, they have not let up on hospital administration. That’s because patient safety has been jeopardized. When Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) laid off approximately 40 nurses and furloughed many more ancillary staff during the COVID-19 crisis, they created another crisis in safe patient care. Already struggling with the retention of experienced nurses and maintaining safe nurse-to-patient ratios on many units, the staffing cuts only made matters worse.
In harm’s way Continued from page 3
St. Elizabeth nurses are fighting for their patients.
Endangering quality care To add insult to injury, MVHS did not provide adequate notification of the layoffs, and improperly stopped paying nurses during the contractually required two-week period preceding a layoff. Nurses are fighting back and NYSNA has filed a grievance. More action is underway. Nurses launched a petition and ad campaign calling on the administration to bring back the laid-off RNs, lift all RN hiring freezes, and prioritize frontline staffing that ensures safe patient care. They also headed to the bargaining table to make their demands part of a new contract. The MVHS administration is proposing give-
backs that will make providing quality care to patients and retaining nurses even more difficult.
Utica patients deserve better “There’s no doubt that the proposal put forth by MVHS will negatively impact nurse retention and recruitment,” said Lisa Streeter, RN, a member of the Executive Committee who has worked at the St. Elizabeth College of Nursing for more than 13 years. “We need the laid off nurses to come back, and a fair contract that allows us to deliver the highest quality care to our community.” St. Elizabeth nurses served a 10-day notice to picket beginning
on June 29 from 11 – 1:30 PM. LBU President Sheila Conley, RN, delivered the notice to management. “I gave 37 years—my entire career— for this hospital. I feel like I was cut off at the knees, and I feel with this latest proposal we have no choice. On behalf of our members, I serve you with our 10-day notice to picket.” The Utica community deserves better, and nurses will continue to advocate at the bargaining table and beyond, to win the safe staffing that nurses and patients deserve. To show solidarity with St. Elizabeth nurses, sign and share their petition: https://nysna.salsalabs.org/bringbackthenurses.
Ellis RN retires with salute to union
H
ere are the words of Teresa Jewett, RN, who retired on June 19, 2020, after 44 years of service to the patients at Ellis Hospital. I worked for 25 years in oncology, but wore many hats: psych, ED. Nursing is not for everyone. You must be dependable. You have to acknowledge what you don't know. To me, one day I asked myself, what would I be if not a nurse and I could not think of one thing. I love it when patients say: ‘Can I have you tomorrow?’ COVID? Initially you are frightened but you do your job. There was a lack of preparedness in PPE. Never saw anything like this, except in 1986, when HIV was beginning to peak. It is my chosen job and I need to pay attention
to the rules, show confidence and just do it. I was a union officer and delegate since 1986. Initially I was a very shy person. I did not realize the power of being a delegate. I grew my confidence and got very vocal. A lot of nurses do not realize the power they have through NYSNA. I did orientation for new hires. ‘Remember: you can protest your assignment. Do it when you feel unsafe Protect yourself and your license. You have a right to grievance.'’ It is my nature to be a caregiver to be remembered by generations of patients I've cared for, especially the oncology patients, and having their children come to you: ‘I remember you.’
Teresa Jewett, RN
and jails have become the largest provider of mental health services in almost every state. Today, over 40% of the inmates at Rikers Island have been diagnosed with mental illness. Even judges are distraught: there are not enough residential treatment centers and outpatient settings available for much needed care. “Are we going back to a homeless explosion?” asks NYSNA Board Member Seth Dressekie, NP, a psychiatric-mental nurse with 15 years of experience at Woodhull Hospital. Today he carries out mental health evaluations for NYC Department of Social Services. “The ER does not stabilize psych patients,” he explains. Seth fears that there are more discharges of people who need to be hospitalized. Many 911 calls for help with people in mental health crisis result in dispatching police. That must change for a number of reasons, he says, not the least of which can be the pitting of police against the seriously ill, a role for which law enforcement is not appropriate. Quoting a mental health professional in April 23’s New Yorker: “The fact is the administrations, the business of medicine, is putting us—all of us—in harm’s way.” Is this where we want to leave the most vulnerable: In harm’s way?
12
New York Nurse june 2020
Building power to move Albany
T
his year’s state legislative session started in January with dire warnings about the budget shortfall. Because of federal tax cuts for the super-rich combined with federal healthcare cuts, the Executive budget projected a $6 billion budget gap, and proposed cutting $2.5 billion from the state Medicaid budget.
Lobbying lawmakers in Albany
NYSNA nurses demand healthcare justice at 2020 Lobby Day
NYSNA nurses headed to Albany at the beginning of March to demand that lawmakers make the super-rich pay their fair share of taxes in order to preserve Medicaid funding and safety net hospital funding, upon which the most vulnerable patients rely. Nurses also demanded a moratorium on hospital closures. Warning of a surge of COVID-19 patients, nurses asked legislators to vote on the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act, which has majority support in the State Senate and Assembly. Nurses demanded that the New York State Department of Health release the results of the staffing study that the NYS DOH was directed to carry out and publicly release at the end of 2019, but has yet to appear.
Legislature on “Pause”
Montefiore Mount Vernon nurses lobby in Albany against hospital closures
When the COVID-19 pandemic surged weeks later, nurses were left with more questions than answers. The state legislature went on “Pause” along with the rest of New York, and in lieu of another Lobby Day, nurses pressed legislators and the Governor directly on our priorities of COVID19 protections, safe staffing, and a moratorium on healthcare cuts and hospital closures. NYSNA nurses held virtual town hall meetings with elected officials and kept nurses and essential workers’ issues in the spotlight. While responding to the life and death needs of members on the frontlines of this pandemic—securing more PPE, better health and safety protections, and better COVID-19 sick leave policies—NYSNA kept our
eye on the long-term big picture, as well.
An opening for victories When NYSNA heard from legislators that they would reconvene again briefly, but only to address immediate COVID-19-related issues, nurses pressed for strengthened whistleblower protections for nurses and for line of duty death benefits for essential workers—and won! The Whistleblower protections, championed by NYSNA nurse and Assembly Member Karines Reyes, RN, and Senator Diane Savino, protect nurses from speaking out about patient and nurse safety, including in the press and social media. “Nurses know that everyone is safer when nurses and other healthcare professionals can speak out about health and safety violations without fear of retaliation,” said NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane, RN. “The COVID-19 crisis has shown us that expressing concerns about patient and nurse safety can save lives. It has also shown that we need strong whistleblower protections to make our voices heard in order to protect public health. We commend Assembly Member Reyes and Senator Savino for their tireless efforts on behalf of New York’s patients and frontline healthcare workers during this pandemic.” Senator Andrew Gounardes and Assembly Member Peter Abbate championed the successful effort to make line of duty death benefits easier to access for the families of public sector workers, including public sector nurses, who die of COVID-19.
A movement demands and wins change In May and June, millions of people across New York State, the U.S. and the world over protested racial injustice and demanded police accountability in the wake of several high-profile police killings of unarmed Black Americans. The immense, sustained protests, joined in many places by NYSNA nurses and backed by the broader movement for racial justice, created the intense grassroots pressure necessary to bring back the Legislature once more.
The State Legislature passed several measures that police reform advocates had been advocating for years without success. The Governor recently signed into law a series of bills to increase police transparency and accountability. The repeal of 50-a struck from the books the most secretive law on police misconduct in the country; the Police STAT Act requires reporting demographic and geographic data on law enforcement activity; Attorney General Tish James is now designated to independently investigate cases where police kill individuals in New York state; there is a ban on the use of chokeholds by law enforcement officers; and false racebased 911 reports are prohibited.
Towards a just and equitable society These new laws are a major victory in one plank of the racial justice movement, and they could not have been passed without the sustained organizing and strong broad movement that is visible today. At the same time, not all of the police accountability reforms within the Safer NY Act were passed or signed into law. As nurses, we experience and witness racial inequities much more broadly than in how policing and the criminal justice system operates. From COVID-19 death rates and broader healthcare racial disparities, to ongoing workplace and housing discrimination, and in so many other areas of our lives, we know there is still more work to do to dismantle systemic racism and build the just and equitable society we all deserve. As NYSNA nurses look toward the elections in November and the next state legislative session in January, it will be essential to build power to win the transformative changes needed for nurses and our patients. Even without the safe staffing study, nurses have the facts on our side about how safe staffing ratios are absolutely necessary to achieve patient safety and care. To win the healthcare justice that nurse, patients and our communities deserve, nurses need to be ready to organize and mobilize a movement of our fellow nurses, and our labor, patient and community allies.
tk
NEW YORK NURSE june 2020
New Yorkers back bold political solutions in June primary
J
une 23 was a primary election like no other. New Yorkers went to the polls in the middle of three overlapping crises, a deadly global pandemic, an economic collapse rivaling the Great Depression, and a national movement against the systemic racism plaguing our country. It was also the first time that New York State, in response to the COVID crisis, implemented large-scale mail-in voting. Nearly three-quarters of a million voters requesting absentee ballots in New York City alone.
Waiting game As the New York Nurse goes to press, hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots remain uncounted, and the outcome of most races remains uncertain. The day after the election, the Associated Press did not declare winners for any New York Senate or Assembly primaries, and they held off declar-
ing a winner in 16 congressional primaries. But even where winners weren’t declared, we could see a pattern— the candidates with bold responses to this “triple crisis” had the strongest showings.
NYSNA-endorsed congressional candidates win big
NYSNA on the move Long before COVID-19, nurses have been organizing for safe staffing, universal healthcare, and quality patient care. We swung into action as soon as the pandemic hit, refusing to accept the failure of hospital administrators, state officials, and the Trump administration to protect patients and frontline healthcare professionals. And after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, we mobilized a union-wide response for racial justice. Our organizing put nurses’ issues and NYSNA’s demands front and center in this election. Voters noticed, and they listened to our recommendations for state legislature and Congress.
CD 5 Gregory Meeks
CD 6 Grace Meng
PRELIMINARY RESULTS There are some congressional districts where we won’t have to wait. As of Wednesday, June 23, we know that a few NYSNAendorsed candidates will be on the ballot in the November general election. Alexandria OcasioCortez, representing the Bronx and Queens, dominated with 70%; she’ll be joined by fellow Queens representatives Gregory Meeks and Grace Meng. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who has championed hazard pay and improved federal funding in response to COVID-19, handily won her primary. And Congressman Adriano Espaillat of Manhattan and the Bronx was declared the primary winner with a 33-point lead. Sending these leaders to Congress in Novembers means that issues like safe staffing, universal healthcare, a safe and science-informed reopening, healthcare funding and more will get a real hearing in Washington DC.
Because of the unprecedented switch to mail-in ballots, there are no official results yet for the dozens of other candidates NYSNA endorsed this primary. If you haven’t already, you can learn about these candidates in the last issue of New York Nurse or on our website. Just scan the QR code to the right. As absentee ballots and definitive results roll in, we’ll be reporting them on our website and social media—and, hopefully, in full in the next New York Nurse. Whatever happens in these races, they show one thing: your vote counts. In a competitive election, you can be the difference that sends strong defenders of nurses and patients to Albany, or Washington DC. If you didn’t get a chance to register to vote in this primary, make sure to register for the upcoming general election in November. Go to www.ny.gov/ services/register-vote and make sure your voice is heard.
CD 7 Nydia Velázquez
CD 13 Adriano Espaillat
CD 14 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Find out more about all the candidates NYSNA endorsed in our 2020 Primary Voter’s Guide.
13
14
New York Nurse june 2020
O
NYSNA Covid-19 A List of Donors
n behalf of the nurses of the New York State Nurses Association we wish to express the utmost gratitude for the generosity and caring of the donors during this time of unprecedented hardship. The challenge of the coronavirus pandemic was overwhelming. We are still recovering while remaining vigilant to its possible resurgence. Your help and kindness are a big part of the healing for us. Many thanks. –NYSNA
Ronnie Alber, Long Island – donation of cloth masks, headcovers and headbands
Ann and Roger Arrigali, Long Island – donation for PPE Mary Barone, Long Island – donation for PPE
Cathy Bird, Long Island – donation of cloth masks, headcovers and headbands
Donna Boccabella, Long Island – donation for PPE
Brumidi Catering Co. Inc. , Long Island – Donation of meals Marie Canonica, Long Island – donation for PPE
Marisa Comple, Long Island –
Elle Mangano–Melara, Family Florist, Long Island – Donation of 200 meals Cost of $1,000 (donation – Funeral Home and Family Florist)
Mario Mattera, Business Agent (U.A. Plumbers, Local Union No. 200), Long Island – provided PPE, face shields and masks
Ginny O’Connor, Long Island, Long Island – donation of cloth masks, headcovers and headbands
Rich Rengel and Son Sabastian, Long Island – donation of 3D face shields
Virginia Usak, Lucy and Irene, Long Island – donation for PPE Prafullba (Pinkee) Vaghela, Long Island – provided PPE from sewing
Investment Department Staff – NYSNA Pension Plan and Benefits Fund – donation Michael Baldi Case Fell Nancy Gladstone Taylor Janke Chase Kinnison Clayton Maul Paulette Miller Caroline Powell Sean Raleigh Dylan Tate
Investment Crescent Capital – donation for food (shared with Wahlberg Family)
Case and Lindsay Fell – donation, Chief Investment Officer – NYSNA Pension Plan and Benefits Fund NEPC – donation Starr Shiffler, Office Manager, NEPC – 100 boxes of girl scout cookies
Wahlberg Family – donation for food c c c
Taryn Granados, Director of Digital and Integrated Marketing, Paris Presents Incorporated – 40,000 cosmetic face masks for members
Lloyd Heller – Doral Arrowwood Hotel – 200 complimentary rooms for members
Russ Howarth – 40,000 ziploc bags for phone protectors Cathy Krause – Labor Liaison – Law offices of Fine, Olin, Anderman – lunch/dinner for member at Brooklyn Hospital Center
Dwayne Norris – Harlem Rotary Club – lunch for Harlem Hospital members
Kristen Reyes, VP of Operations – Hotel Indigo – Long Island East – 5 complimentary rooms for members
Spectrum Custom Molds & Manufacturing – 1000 Mask Relief Straps
Nicole Spillane, Director of Marketing, Four Seasons Hotel – 65 rooms – complimentary housing for NYSNA members
donation of washable water resistant gowns, cloth masks and bouffants
group
James Cotgreave, CIC, President, Cotgreave Agency, Long Island –
donation for PPE
2 free rooms for members
AFYA – donation of face shields
Nicole Garguilo, Communications Director, Town of Smithtown, Long Island – took the time to
Jose Alfaro – free counseling/
COVID Coverage – donation of
Donation of 2,500 disposable blue gowns
Pat D’Antonio, Long Island – donation for PPE
Rosemarie Garone, Long Island – donation of cloth masks, headcovers and headbands
Keta and Peter Graber, Long Island – donation of washable water resistant gowns, cloth masks and bouffants
Adam Haber, All Hands & Heart, Long Island – donation of PPE
Jan Vigiano, Long Island –
attend and be a part of our “Protect Our Direct Care Givers with Proper PPE Vigil”
John Kennedy, Suffolk County Comptroller, Long Island – provided support at the County Level
Leslie Kennedy, Suffolk County Legislator, Long Island – provided gloves and your support at the County Level
including NK95s, gowns and face shields
Vincent Puleo, Town Clerk, Long Island – provided support
Bill and Carmel Lamont, Long Island – donation for PPE
Robert Trotta, Suffolk County Legislator, Long Island – provided
Mary Ann Leonard, Long Island – donation of cloth masks, headcovers and headbands
Sal Mangano, Vice President, Mangano Family Funeral Home, Long Island – Donation of 200 meals Cost of $1,000 (donation – Funeral Home and Family Florist)
PPE, support at the County Level and help connecting us to State and Federal Leaders
Edward R. Wehrheim, Town Supervisor, Town of Smithtown, Long Island – tremendous support, provided PPE, gowns and masks
Ashely Ahearn, General Manager, Holiday Inn Express Hauppauge –
therapy for members
Tom Butler, President, Butler Associates on behalf of the Hellenic Foundation – lunch for a
c c c
face shields
Humanitarian China – donation of N95
week for Presby members
Masks for America – donation of
Jackie Cataldo – jackie.waqi@ gmail.com and Dr. Yang Yang – yang@waqi.com – free 3 month
Mask Our Heroes – donation of
subscription to wellness website for members
Mission for Masks – donation of
Ida Cheng, Assistant to PSC President for Research and Special Projects – PSC CUNY –
Momentive – donation of tri-fold
free on-line tutoring for members children
Kyle Cook – Fortis Riders Reservations – shuttle service to and from NYC hotels for members
Alvaro Diaz – Hotel Director, Roommate Grace Hotel – 100 complimentary rooms for members
Liz DeBold Fusco – Public Policy & Communications, AirBNB – up to $250,000 in free housing for members
KN95 N95 and face shields KN95 masks and KN95
Pandemic Responders – donation of N95 and surgical masks
c c c Michael Blake, Assembly Member – donation of N95 Yuh-Line Niou, Assembly Member – donation of surgical masks, gowns and face shields
c c c Duane Norris – helped with deliveries to facilities
public health
NEW YORK NURSE
15
june 2020
Hospital considering use of better respirators to deal with ongoing N95 issues
N
YSNA members at the The Brooklyn Hospital Center (TBHC) may soon be part of a pilot project that could help demonstrate one possible solution to the PPE crisis in healthcare. TBHC is discussing how to establish a pilot program with an eye to transitioning to the use of elastomeric respirators as a way to reduce reliance on N95 masks. Other healthcare systems have used this equipment successfully. Interest in the concept has grown recently, due to the many issues and costs associated with the N95 equipment. At the onset of the COVID19 surge, physicians at TBHC obtained a small number of elastomeric respirators. They found that they were more comfortable than N95s, and believed that the elastomerics lessened their risk of contracting the virus. Elastomeric respirators are similar to N95 masks, in that they cover the nose and mouth, and filter the air being breathed. They are made of a rubber-like material, however, that can be cleaned and sanitized. Unlike N95s, they are designed to be reused safely, with sturdy straps that work more effectively to keep the mask in place, fitted properly and more comfortable.
Large health system switches to elastomerics Brooklyn Hospital MDs were not the first to discover the benefits of using this equipment in healthcare. Long before the COVID-19 crisis, a number of healthcare facilities switched from N95s to elastomeric equipment, often for financial reasons. The University of Maryland Medical Center did so years ago, with good results. More recently, the Allegheny Health Network in Pennsylvania purchased elastomerics for staff at their nine hospitals. Closer to home, staff at Brookdale Hospital were able to broker the donation of hundreds of elastomeric respirators during the crisis, which they used and found effective during the surge. A coalition started by the nonprofit organization COVID Courage has been actively promoting the con-
Elastomeric respirators should be part of the PPE arsenal in healthcare.
cept of using elastomeric respirators since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis in New York. They are working with the NYC Public Advocates Office, NYSNA and other stakeholders to conduct education and outreach around the concept.
Why employer resistance? If facilities have had a positive experience with elastomeric respirators, why aren’t more health systems getting on board? Resistance to the concept by healthcare employers seems partly to be due to an unwillingness to adopt new and different measures. As management at one New York system stated, “This [N95 equipment] is the way we have done it in the past. We are not going to change now.” Similarly, when approached about promoting the greater use of elastomeric respirators, the NYS DOH stated that they had asked healthcare systems about it, but were told “that it would be too difficult to operationalize.” But a report from Allegheny Health Network counters that argument: “A well thought out elastomeric distribution and disinfection program does not pose greater operational challenges than an N95 reuse and resterilization program. In addition Elastomeric masks can be stored for future surges and should be considered an essential part of all health care facilities’ supply of personal protective equipment. Implementation of the program has eliminated our dependence on disposable N95s to
maintain normal operations during the global pandemic.”
Federal action on defense production act has stalled While N95s can be effective and play an important role, there is no indication that supply issues will resolve in the near future. Despite calls to use the Defense Production Act to order the manufacture of N95s in the United States, President Trump has declined to do so. Meanwhile the rolling aspect of the pandemic, with surges (and resurges) occurring over time in different parts of the world, will continue to generate excessive demand. Other events, like wildfires, will only create further stress on supply. The pilot project at TBHC would start with the use of 300 masks, centered in some key units to start. The goal is to evaluate and then expand to a total of at least 1,000 masks, covering the hospital and possibly the long term care facility next door. “If we are talking about the possibility of a second wave here in New York City, we know from experience that TBHC will be hit hard. We cannot have a repeat of the first wave, when we did not have adequate PPE to keep ourselves, our patients, our families, safe. This pilot program could help us solve one part of the PPE problem by providing reliable, reusable respirators for RNs, limiting needless exposures and even deaths. We need this now,” Pat Mitchell, RN, MICU, The Brooklyn Hospital Center.
“A well thought out elastomeric distribution and disinfection program does not pose greater operational challenges than an N95 reuse and resterilization program. In addition Elastomeric masks can be stored for future surges and should be considered an essential part of all health care facilities’ supply of personal protective equipment.” Implementation of an Elastomeric Mask Program Eliminates Dependence on Disposable N95s: Results from a Large Academic Medical Center. Sricharan Chalikonda MD, MHA, FACS1; Hope Waltenbaugh MSN, RN, CNOR, NE-BC,1; Sara Angelilli MSN,RN,CNOR1; Tiffany Dumont, DO1; Curt Kvasager1;Timothy Sauber MD1; Nino Servello CRNA1; Anil Singh MD1; Rafael Diaz-Garcia MD, FACS1.
NEW YORK NURSE
Non-Profit US Postage Paid NYSNA
june 2020
131 West 33rd Street, 4th Floor New York, NY 10001
INSIDE
Hold the Date! NYSNA virtual CONVENTION 2020
Trauma, p. 2
October 20
With courses, webinars, and workshops offered in the weeks prior to Convention For questions contact labored@nysna.org
In harm’s way, p. 3
NYSNA endorsed candidates win big in 5 contests, p. 13
