Ebola Concerns in Central MA: Nurses Demand Better Protection

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Nicholas Handy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

As more Ebola cases present themselves in the United States, the call for Ebola preparedness in Massachusetts hospitals is at an all time high, with nurses throughout the state demanding proper equipment and training when dealing with the deadly virus.

While more and more hospitals are stepping up and beginning to offer training for nurses and other frontline workers in the hospitals, nursing advocates are demanding that the proper equipment is not forgotten about either.

“Without the proper protective gear for frontline workers, any training or protocol put in place at a hospital will be useless,” said David Schildmeier, Director of Public Communications with the Massachusetts Nurses Association. “It goes the same the other way around; we need to have the proper protocol, training, and equipment in place. There may have been things that we could compromise with in the past but this is something that we are demanding; there is no compromise when dealing with Ebola.”

Nurses from Massachusetts are demanding equipment that safely covers their entire bodies (in some cases the neck is still exposed) as well as equipment that is not permeable to liquids, as it is bodily fluids that transmit the virus. Nurses are also demanding that nationwide and statewide standards are set in place, rather than setting guidelines that individual hospitals can follow.

A Wide Variation

The most striking part of Ebola preparedness in Massachusetts and even in specific systems within Massachusetts – the UMass Memorial system, for example – is that each hospital varies so much in terms of how much training and equipment is available.

According to Schildmeier, hospitals within the UMass Memorial system are displaying various levels of Ebola preparedness, with UMass Memorial making more positive steps forward than the University campus. In addition to leveling the playing field for nurses throughout Massachusetts, Schildmeier and the MNA want to see more communication with frontline workers to ensure that they feel comfortable with the amount of training and equipment in place.

“I am hopeful that the hospital will keep to their word and administer the proper training and protocols and purchase the proper protective equipment,” said Lynne Starbard, RN, Maternity Nurse at UMass Memorial Medical Center’s Memorial Campus and Co-Chair of the nurses local bargaining unit, who says that the hospital announced on Monday that they would be offering training. “I’m really hoping that the hospital will come through for us but unfortunately I’m skeptical. I have been at this hospital for over 30 years; I’m hoping that they do the right thing in this situation. I have heard that we are supposed to be getting the proper training but have yet to see it.”

Health Officials Fight Back

While there has been a lot of negative attention toward health officials and hospitals throughout the nation and in Massachusetts, those who are at the executive decision making level are open in saying that they are not staying idly by.

Moments before a legislative hearing on Ebola preparedness in Massachusetts on Thursday, a coalition of hospital groups released a statement saying that they are doing everything they can to ensure that Massachusetts is staying in front of Ebola.

"Preparation is an ongoing process that demands continued perseverance and improvement. Every day clinical leaders across the state are focused on ensuring that proper protocols are in place and followed, and that appropriate training and education is provided," said a statement, signed by the Massachusetts Hospital Association, the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Organization of Nurse Leaders in MA-RI, the American Nurses Association of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.

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