Registered nurses at UCLA plan to hold a rally Tuesday, Nov. 10 to demand that hospital administration notify frontline workers when they’ve been exposed to COVID-19 and also guarantee routine testing for nurses and other medical personnel.
The workers, represented by the California Nurses Association, claim there has been minimal notification from hospital management when coworkers test positive and that contact tracing has been spotty.
Nurses must currently complete a daily symptom review via email and also have their temperature taken before entering UCLA hospitals and clinics, according to Valerie Ewald, a registered nurse at UCLA Health – Santa Monica Medical Center.
Ewald said that’s not enough.
“They doing weekly COVID-19 testing for non-medical staff and students and daily testing for football players,” she said. “I support the athletes and understand that athletics is a big part of UCLA and its university programs, but we’re at the forefront providing patient care. I think we deserve the same kind of respect.”
Marcia Santini, an emergency room nurse, agreed.
“Since the start of this pandemic, there has been minimal notification of healthcare workers, and we have seen nurses refused testing after possible exposure,” Santini said in a statement.
UCLA’s safety guidelines
UCLA defended its protocols in a statement released Friday, saying the safety of its nurses, other employees and patients is UCLA Health’s overriding priority.
“Employees who have symptoms of COVID-19 or have had close contact with someone that has either tested positive or is suspected to have the virus are referred to a UCLA Health testing site for a free test,” UCLA said.
The protocols UCLA has in place are consistent with guidelines established by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to minimize spread, the statement said.
Tuesday’s rally will be held at UCLA’s Michigan Operations Center in Santa Monica, which serves as a COVID-19 testing site. The gathering is part of a statewide day of action across the UC system.
Locally, that includes UCLA Health – Santa Monica Medical Center, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance and various medical facilities and clinics throughout Southern California.
California Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the nation’s largest nurses’ union, representing more than 16,000 nurses in the UC system, including 4,000 at UCLA and 170,000 registered nurses nationwide.
A pressing issue
COVID-19 testing has become a pressing issue for front-line medical workers and businesses private and public as healthcare officials seek to rein in the virus.
Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the Southland last week to unveil a COVID-19 testing lab in Valencia that will boost California’s testing capacity, reduce turnaround time for results and create hundreds of jobs.
The $25 million facility will begin processing tests this month. It’s expected to handle up to 150,000 tests per day by March with a turnaround time of 24 to 48 hours.
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