TAMPA, Fla. — While many Floridians are anticipating getting back to normal as the state starts to slowly re-open, front line workers are still being faced with the coronavirus everyday.
Liz Kane is a nurse in Tampa Bay. She didn't want to reveal which hospital she works at but she felt passionate about getting the word out about the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Florida hospitals.
"Some of my other colleagues have had to wear their isolation gowns for a full shift or have one face shield for a full week or have to wear the same mask for a week. That’s not safe," said Kane who feels fortunate because she's had access to PPE where she works.
RELATED: Tampa Bay nurses were told not to wear masks in hallways. Now hospitals are changing the rules.
Another worry for Kane and her fellow healthcare workers is the idea of a second wave.
"I fear that people are going to get lax, and it’s going to spread," she said. "Myself and a lot of my nurse friends feel the same way. We are absolutely terrified it’s going to get worse before it gets better."
Kane wants the government to ensure healthcare workers have all the equipment they need. 10News reached out to Gov. DeSantis' office about the measures he's taking to make sure Florida hospitals are stocked. We'll update this article when we hear back.
In a news conference Friday, Gov. DeSantis said, "The state of Florida has just signed a long-term deal with Honeywell to receive 12-million N95 masks in order to respond to COVID-19. We can use them in the near-term, but then prepare if there’s a resurgence in the Fall."
10News also reached out to Tampa Bay area hospitals about how they go about ordering PPE and their protocol in making sure their employees are protected.
In an e-mail, HCA Healthcare said this:
Since the onset of this global pandemic, which has strained the worldwide supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), our goal has been to protect our frontline clinicians and caregivers so they are able to continue to care for our patients and community. Our efforts to protect our colleagues while at work and at home include:
- A universal masking policy implemented in March requiring all staff in all areas to wear masks, including N95s, in line with CDC guidance
- Screening for all patients, visitors and staff before entering facilities
- For colleagues with reduced hours due to the pandemic, we instituted a pandemic pay program that continues to pay colleagues with reduced hours 70 percent of their pay for up to 7 weeks
In addition, we provide cleaned hospital scrubs each shift for colleagues who care for COVID-19 patients to help prevent potentially carrying the virus home on clothing. We are also working with major hotel chains to provide housing for caregivers who provide care to COVID-19 patients and prefer not to go home to their loved ones after their shift. While our hospital currently has adequate supplies of PPE, we continue to provide safeguards that are consistent with CDC guidelines and help ensure the protection of our colleagues, not only today, but into the future as the pandemic continues to evolve.
To ensure we can continue to adequately protect our caregivers, PPE is carefully inventoried and monitored on a daily basis at all of our hospitals. PPE inventory is replenished seven days a week from our local supply chain warehouse. Each facility maintains a minimum seven days stock of PPE on-site. In the event of a volume surge, urgent delivery is available from the warehouse stores.
Liz Kane added, "Every nurse in the Tampa Bay area needs to have that protection in every hospital. It’s not just me. It’s everybody. Every nurse I know wants to be protected."
On Friday, some Florida nurses participated in International Workers Day, also known as “May Day" by calling for optimal COVID-19 protections.
Nurses at Largo Medical Center held a Unity Day for Safe Staffing and PPE. Other local hospitals that participated in "May Day" include the Medical Center of Trinity and Blake Medical Center.
More than 50 nurses put together a list of concerns, signed it, and handed it over to hospital administrators.
In an e-mail sent to 10News, Bonnie Castillo, a nurse with National Nurses United said, “Nurses signed up to care for their patient. They did not sign up to sacrifice their lives on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic," adding, "On this day that celebrates the labor movement and working people, union nurses are standing up to demand the protections they need now.”
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