A COVID-19 outbreak at St. Michael Medical Center in Bremerton, Wash., that grew to 45 patient and staff cases has sparked safety concerns from hospital workers and demands from their union, according to The News Tribune.
The workers and their union, UFCW 21, raised the concerns Aug. 25 during a news conference. Concerns include a shortage of personal protective equipment as well as being asked to come to work before COVID-19 test results come back, reports TV station KING 5.
Workers also raised concerns about transparency from Tacoma, Wash.-based CHI Franciscan, of which St. Michael Medical Center is a part.
Union members said CHI Franciscan has not paid close enough attention to warnings that the current situation could happen, and they weren't notified about an outbreak until CDC agents arrived at the hospital Aug. 19, they told TV station KOMO.
Workers and the union are demanding rapid COVID-19 tests and results, eight-hour notification of potential exposure and paid leave while waiting for test results.
The Kitsap Public Health District declared an outbreak at the hospital Aug. 14. On Aug. 24, the health district reported that the outbreak is linked to confirmed cases for at least 30 staff members and 15 patients, and it said it expects the count to increase as test results are confirmed.
CHI Franciscan said it is following CDC and public health guidelines, was in communication with workers and patients affected in the outbreak, and has regularly updated workers, according to an email sent to The News Tribune.
A statement provided to KOMO said: "When the first test result for COVID-19 came back positive from one of our staff at St. Michael Medical Center, we immediately notified public health authorities and began contacting staff and patients who were impacted. We are investigating the cause of the infection, performing contact-tracing, increasing testing and working closely with public health authorities to address the situation as quickly as possible."