Lack of personal protective equipment, inadequate gear training and lax government enforcement of safety protocols have led to hundreds of COVID-19 cases among New Jersey health workers, the state's largest healthcare union said July 20, as reported by northjersey.com.
At least six members of Health Professionals and Allied Employees have died from the virus. Protective gear shortages remain as New Jersey reopens and braces for a possible resurgence, union members said.
"If we are not safe, neither are our patients," said Debbie White, union president, at a virtual news conference.
A union report based on a survey of 1,085 HPAE members at 26 hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities found that more than half of respondents said they had been exposed to COVID-19 at work. A third of respondents said their employer informed them of the exposure.
Of more than 200 union members reporting COVID-19 complications, two-thirds said they didn't have proper PPE when caring for COVID-19 patients. Three-quarters said they had to reuse N95 masks, and nine-tenths said they were never taught how to decontaminate PPE for reuse.
Almost a quarter of those surveyed said they had to return to work before they had fully recovered, Ms. White said.
Ms. White said the head of a local union chapter said, "We feel disposable."
The report was dedicated to the memory of the six union members who died of COVID-19: Nagi Abraham, Susan Cicala, Maria Luisa Lopez, Nancy Martell, Alfredo Pabatao and George Cisnero.