Ohio State University Nurses Organization: At least 80 employees test positive for coronavirus
COLUMBUS (WCMH) — The President of the Ohio State University Nurses Association says at least 80 Wexner Medical Center nurses have tested positive for coronavirus, with ‘countless others’ out on quarantine.
The union says it has invoked its legal right to bargain over how nurses are being treated during the pandemic response. Union president Rick Lucas says he appreciates the university sharing some information, so far they have refused to bargain.
The Ohio Nurses Association released the following statement:
“ONA is extremely disappointed with hospitals, such as the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, who are refusing to formally discuss safety concerns posed by registered nurses. The health and safety of health care workers is of critical importance during this pandemic, especially as the number in Ohio continues to rise with the latest statistics citing 21%, or 1 in 5, of those infected with COVID-19 being healthcare workers.
Furthermore, we find it imperative for hospitals to release the number of nurses and other healthcare workers who are positive for COVID-19 and quarantined due to possible exposure. ONA has heard from members that entire units at OSU Wexner Medical Center are closed because of infected workers, but those numbers remain unconfirmed because OSUWMC refuses to provide those statistics. These numbers not only inform needs for coverage and cross-training, but also the need for adequate PPE and safety practices that are overall essential to a well-functioning hospital. Additionally, Ohio needs these numbers to continue to make the case for the purchase, production and innovation surrounding PPE.
In addition, if these scenarios are happening at Ohio’s leading medical centers where nurses have a strong voice, ONA is left deeply concerned about the working conditions nurses are facing in the other hospitals across the state.
Nursing homes in Ohio have released the statistics relative to the number of COVID-19 in the interest of public safety. Bound by the same HIPPA regulations as nursing homes, hospitals should follow their lead. Nurses are once again stating the need for healthcare facilities to have effective and clear communication and collaboration with the frontline workers. This is simply a matter of safety. “
The Wexner Medical Center released the following statement in response to the Ohio State University Nurses Association:
We’ve been meeting daily with members of the Ohio Nurses Association to listen and address their concerns and requests for information since the pandemic began affecting Ohio. We believe we have engaged in a transparent way, consulting with leaders across the Medical Center from Nursing, Quality, Epidemiology and Supply Chain.
The health and safety of our patients, health care providers and staff are of paramount importance to us. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center adheres to current CDC guidelines for the proper use and conservation of PPE. Guidelines change frequently as we all learn more about COVID-19, and we consistently update our approach and communicate the newest guidelines to our employees.
By being proactive in leveraging our contacts and buying power as a large academic health center, we’ve been able to maintain adequate supplies. We continue to work tirelessly to purchase these necessary and scarce resources and maximize usage of those we have. Prior to a state order, we postponed elective procedures to conserve PPE. We’ve partnered with Battelle to use an FDA-approved process to sterilize N-95 masks and potentially other PPE items. This process is now being used across the country. We gratefully accept donations of commercially-produced PPE, and we’re managing those to ensure quality and distribution of the right products to the right areas. While these ongoing measures have improved our inventory of PPE, we urge our employees to rigorously comply with proper hygiene, cough etiquette, social distancing and guidelines for conserving PPE to maintain our supplies and optimize safety during an anticipated surge of COVID-19 patients in coming weeks.
Any absences we’ve had recently (COVID and non-COVID related) haven’t affected patient care. Our necessary patient care units remain open and staffed appropriately. We are cross training some health care workers to provide additional support in the event of a patient surge that requires us to staff alternate care sites such as the convention center.
We take the privacy of all of our patients very seriously. We’re not able to share details about any COVID-19 cases.
The Wexner Center added it has nearly 30,000 employees and more than 5,000 of them are nurses.