Why can't health workers get the PPE they need?
“I’m terrified. I feel like it’s only a matter of time before I’m infected with this illness.” - COVID-19 doctor at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis
Medical professionals are struggling to get sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent them from getting sick while treating patients with COVID-19. We must do more to protect them. - Amber & Katie
Source: Brian McGowan
Doctors in St. Louis have had to perform procedures on COVID-19 patients while wearing nothing more than surgical masks. Los Angeles emergency rooms were left with N95 masks so far past their expiration date, the elastic bands broke when they put them on. In Kentucky, a doctor had to intubate patients in respiratory distress without an N95 mask or eye protection. A nurse in Oregon says her colleagues are “dropping like flies” with COVID-19 symptoms.
As the volume of critical patients slam many hospitals, all kinds of health settings and professionals are forced into sub-standard safety protocols, putting themselves and their patients at risk of infection—for COVID-19 and everything else. Some have N95 masks (respiratory masks that block at least 95 percent of very small airborne and liquid particles) but are expected to reuse them over multiple shifts. Facilities may sanitize the masks between shifts, but it’s unclear whether masks intended for single use are still effective after repeat use. Hospitals are also struggling to get face shields, gowns, gloves, and sanitizer, leaving doctors and nurses only partially protected from the particles and bodily fluids they encounter in the course of patient care.
The situation is so dire, facilities have asked the public for donations of any PPE they may have on hand. Medical professionals are coming to work wearing PPE they’ve purchased themselves, ski goggles and other makeshift replacements, like homemade gowns and masks sewn by neighbors.
Despite doctors and nurses protesting, filing formal complaints, and pleading for help on social media, PPE still isn’t making it to front line workers. With the whole world experiencing a public health crisis, demand for PPE has gone up while supply has dropped dramatically, placing significant strain on the global supply chain.
PPE shortages have long been identified by the federal government as a risk if we faced a “severe event.” We knew we would need roughly 3.5 billion N95 masks for a major public health disaster, yet we only had 35 million stockpiled--1% of our total need. Little was done to shore up the supply, even as warnings came in November 2019 that the novel coronavirus posed a significant threat to the U.S.
Another issue has been the Trump administration’s reluctance to stabilize the U.S. supply chain because of the president’s concerns about “nationalizing our business.” Despite urging by powerhouse lobbyists like the American Medical Association and American Hospital Association, the president didn’t issue the first order to leverage the Defense Production Act (DPA) to produce ventilators until March 27. The order to increase manufacturing of PPE didn’t come until a week later on April 3. These actions were taken much too late.
But it isn’t just that the government dithered and delayed. It is actively undercutting the ability of states to quickly get supplies to their health workforce. There is no clear process for distributing the Strategic National Stockpile of supplies to states. The White House even shockingly claimed the national stockpile wasn’t for the states.
The Trump administration’s effort to secure PPE from overseas has been to outbid states and hospitals, fly PPE to the U.S. on federal planes, then hand medical supplies over to private companies to distribute as if things were business as usual. This has resulted in skyrocketing prices and delays in getting PPE to desperate states and hospitals. Nothing has been done to stabilize prices or prioritize distribution based on need.
We are sending health workers into battle without armor. At least sixty doctors, nurses, physicians assistants, technicians and other medical staff have been killed already in America by COVID-19. One of the victims, emergency doctor Frank Gabrin, stated he was sick because he’d been required to wear the same mask four shifts in a row and didn’t have appropriate gloves.
This has to stop.
Three doctors--Nisha Mehta, Carlos Vital, and Karla Vital--have proposed new legislation to protect front line healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients. The COVID-19 Pandemic Physician Protection Act (CPPPA) would, among other things, guarantee healthcare workers have access to PPE, protect doctors from lawsuits that might arise due to non-standard care patients may receive in this crisis, provide mental health service coverage, forgive student loan debt, and provide financial support to medical practices impacted by this pandemic.
Call on lawmakers to do more:
Sign this petition calling on the president and members of Congress to support the COVID-19 Pandemic Physician Protection Act.
Also sign this petition to press Congress for student loan forgiveness for medical professionals, recognizing their enormous contributions to winning the war with this virus.
Call your congressperson and urge them to release the equipment from the Strategic National Stockpile now to protect medical staff, with this prompt.
Get PPE to the front lines:
If you have PPE, contact GetUsPPE.org to let them know what you have. They can help you direct your donation.
If you are a business or maker interested in creating face masks or face shields, GetUsPPE.org also wants to hear from you.
Make a donation to your local hospital to address PPE shortages or other financial concerns. (Keep in mind institutions in your area which may have fewer resources.)
Don’t forget the home health workers, nursing home staff, behavioral health providers, and other vital health workforce who are still working with insufficient protection. Look for ways to help in your community.
Hear and share accounts from the professionals on the ground:
In addition to the links in our Reference section below, watch this video of doctors and nurses in New York protesting the PPE shortages they are experiencing.
Watch Heartache in the Hot Zone: The Front Line against COVID-19 and read the accompanying article to get a look at what medical professionals in New York City hospitals are up against.
Listen to On the Front Lines in New Orleans - an episode of The Daily podcast interviewing a nurse in the COVID-19 hot spot.
Amplify voices of health professionals using the hashtag #GetUsPPE and follow Get Us PPE on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Individual and community action is still necessary to mitigate the strain on the medical system:
Make your own masks if you must go out, to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The CDC offers up some tutorials. Connect with your local mutual aid network to get masks to your neighbors.
If you can, stay home. It’s the most important thing you can do to protect healthcare workers right now.
Register to vote to ensure we have competent leaders in place to manage this crisis.
Read our last bulletin about how to direct your giving and resources in the pandemic.
Share this bulletin.
Linked & Loud illuminates complex problems and connects readers with the individuals and organizations working to solve them. Each week, we go beyond horrifying headlines to empower readers to take progressive action.
References
In Memoriam: Healthcare Workers Who Have Died of COVID-19 | Medscape
‘At War With No Ammo’: Doctors Say Shortage of Protective Gear Is Dire | New York Times
Doctors Say Hospitals Are Stopping Them From Wearing Masks | NPR
US doctors, nurses on coronavirus front line beg for critical PPE | Al Jazeera
'Like sheep going to slaughter': NY doctors and nurses protest at lack of PPE – video | The Guardian
Doctors and nurses desperate for protective gear are begging the public to donate it | CBS News
'Can't expect nurses to be miracle workers': Mask, equipment shortages push nurses to brink across nation | USA Today
‘It Feels Like a War Zone’: Doctors and Nurses Plead for Masks on Social Media | New York Times
The first ER doctor to die from the coronavirus in the US said he was infected because he had to wear the same mask 4 days in a row | Business Insider
Where is all the PPE? | Association of American Medical Colleges
The links in the PPE supply chain "have been broken" as hospitals battle coronavirus | CBS News
Emergency steps needed to boost production of PPE for COVID-19 | American Medical Association
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Says Medical Vendors Told Not To 'Send Stuff' To Michigan | Yahoo News
Intelligence report warned of coronavirus crisis as early as November | ABC News
FACT CHECK: Trump Compares Defense Production Act To Nationalization | NPR
Statement from the President Regarding the Defense Production Act, March 27 | WhiteHouse.gov
Statement from the President Regarding the Defense Production Act, April 2 | WhiteHouse.gov
Statement from the President Regarding the Defense Production Act, April 3 | WhiteHouse.gov
Trump expands DPA, amid mounting pressure | Politico
Pentagon using Defense Production Act authority to ramp up N95 mask production | CNN
Why America ran out of protective masks — and what can be done about it | Vox
States, Hospitals Say They're Still Not Getting Vital Supplies To Fight COVID-19 | NPR
Critical Supply Shortages — The Need for Ventilators and Personal Protective Equipment during the Covid-19 Pandemic | New England Journal of Medicine
Opinion: Putting Jared Kushner In Charge Is Utter Madness | The New York Times
Only some medical supplies from overseas going directly to coronavirus hotspots | CNN
We Should Forgive Student Loans For Doctors Risking Their Lives To Fight Coronavirus | Huff Post
Coronavirus: 7 ways you can help Bay Area doctors and nurses right now |The Mercury News
Despite coronavirus threat, Pierce County at-home caregivers driven to serve elderly clients | Tacoma News Tribune
‘We’re being put at risk unnecessarily’: Doctors fume at government response to coronavirus pandemic | STAT
States still baffled over how to get coronavirus supplies from Trump | Politico
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