WATSONVILLE, CA — Dozens of Watsonville Community Hospital nurses gathered during a shift change Monday afternoon to hold a vigil and call for strong protections for health care workers amid the new coronavirus outbreak in Santa Cruz County.
The event was organized in conjunction with the California Nurses Association, National Nurses Organizing Committee and National Nurses United. Longtime Watsonville Community Hospital critical care nurse Roseann Farris said she and her colleagues wanted “to make sure that our community and our management understand that we are demanding the highest level of personal protective equipment standards … and maintaining our staffing ratios to make sure that we nurses can do our job and do it safely.”
Farris said nurses have yet to see a plan for how the hospital will replenish protective gear and deal with the surge expected in coming weeks as more coronavirus patients are hospitalized, she said.
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Watsonville Community Hospital said in a statement that it is preparing for a surge in coronavirus patients and “endeavors to provide exceptional patient care with a focus on safety, quality and compassion, while meeting the health care needs of our community.”
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The hospital said it: has a coronavirus task force that holds daily meetings; requires training on protective gear; has worked to acquire protective gear such as masks, gloves, face shields and more; has a screening tent; has a resource binder; and releases updates three times per week.
“The Hospital follows all Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention) and California Department of Public Health guidance to protect its patients, staff, and the public,” the statement read.
Farris took issue with a CDC guideline on optimizing face mask supply that calls for the use of homemade masks such as bandanas or scarves if face masks are not available.
Nurses will only accept the highest level of gear, such as powered air-purifying respirators and N95 masks, she said.
Watsonville Community Hospital nurses also wanted to see fewer staff cancellations at a time that the hospital should be preparing for a surge of patients, according to a news release about the protest.
As elective surgeries are cancelled, nurses are canceled on a daily basis, Farris said. If nurses are willing to step up and take a proactive approach to fighting the outbreak, they should be allowed to do so, she said.
The hospital said a proposal has been made to allow nurses to work in other units, depending on need and whether nurses have the skill to do so.
The hospital also said it was disappointed with the nurses’ gathering at a time when public gatherings are discouraged and noted that the event came amid bargaining efforts to settle a contract with the nurses’ union.
The union said the demonstration was separate from ongoing negotiations.
As of Monday, Santa Cruz County reported 45 patients had tested positive for coronavirus. The first death from the virus was announced Sunday.