California nurses protest at lack of protection from swine flu

More than 100 nurses attended a rally in San Francisco protesting at the lack of safety preparation for the flu pandemic in California hospitals.

The protest, organised by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, follows the death of a 51-year-old nurse who worked at a Sacramento hospital from swine flu at the end of July.

The two organisations claim hospitals in California are not adequately prepared to protect their nurses from infection. A survey of their members has uncovered ‘systemic problems with safety gear for nurses and infection control procedures for patients, as well as an emerging pattern of retribution against nurses who speak out about unsafe care’, they said.

Deborah Burger, co-president of the two organisations, said: ‘Hospitals across California – and possibly the entire country – are putting registered nurses and other front-line caregivers at risk by inadequately preparing for this pandemic.

‘If hospitals do not take urgent precautions to reverse this lack of preparation, we may see our health care facilities become vectors for infections. That is especially worrisome for hospital patients who already have compromised immune systems, and our nurses who may be unable to respond because of their own sickness’, said Ms Burger.

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