Corona Virus update 3/28 (because Viruses don’t take weekends off)

We are 22 days since our first confirmed case of Covid-19 in Connecticut. 1524 confirmed cases (up from 1291 yesterday), 205 hospitalized, 33 dead.

First, let me say welcome to Mary Florio and Dave Hannon of CHCA, an AFSCME Healthcare Union. We share some hospitals and we share friendship. They are our allies in healthcare and I’ve added them to this email chain.

The number of cases and the number of deaths continue to climb, in CT and around the world. 5,400 of Spain’s, 3400 of China’s and 5,000 of Italy’s Healthcare Workers have contracted CORVID-19. 

In France, Italy and Spain, at least 30 Healthcare Workers have died.

At the end of this email are many resources. One of them is evidence to make the case for respiratory protection. It explains the need for N95 or better respirators. Meanwhile, some employers have told Healthcare Workers that Covid-19 is not airborne and others have said the surgical masks will protect against airborne particles. Still others have told Healthcare Workers not to talk to the press.

My God!

If we don’t look out for each other, nobody else will, and if we’re sick, we’ll infect others and be at risk or serious illness or worse ourselves.

Non-Healthcare Workers have asked what they can do to help. Stay home, stay safe, and use your networks to tell our stories. 

I want to start tonight with an email from our good friend Kelly, AFT Director of Health Issues. She sends many resources that I will attach at the bottom. Please pay attention the the request for Policy examples needed for CDC meeting

Greetings Healthcare Leaders, 

This note is going to the broad healthcare distribution list.  And it has a lot of dense, but important material. Thank you to Sara for continuing to pull almost all of this info together.

PPE resources attached. Attached please find some additional resources that we hope will help you in your discussions with employers about the need for respiratory protection and their obligation to seek other kinds of respirators. While the scarcity of PPE is critical in many places, some employers began withholding N95s before getting their first case, leapfrogging from conventional PPE capacity to crisis capacity mode, endangering their workers without cause.  If healthcare workers are not protected now, things will be much worse later.  Employers must stop hoarding the respirators. 

1. The first piece is an article from experts explaining aerosolization of the coronavirus and explaining other kinds of respirators that can be used.
2. A factsheet that lists several studies demonstrating evidence of aerosolization of COVID-19.
3. Two pieces on using elastomeric respirators in healthcare from the National Academy of Medicine.
4. A factsheet for EVS workers.  We will have it translated into Spanish and Russian as well.
5. A report from the AFL-CIO health and safety department for today. 

Policy examples needed for CDC meeting. We are looking for examples of bad policies that are endangering nurses and other workers—cases where the employer has misinterpreted or twisted the CDC guidance to justify withholding respirators and other PPE, or have threatened to penalize staff for wearing PPE. If you have examples of bad policies, please send them to us.  We will be taking this information to a meeting with CDC. 

COVID-19 tracking across our union and related member benefits. The AFT is hoping to track member infection and deaths among our members. We need the name of member, their local union, age, date of death, family contact info. Family contact information is particularly important in case the death is covered by our AD&D policy. The AFT has a number of benefits members can take advantage of now or in the event of infection by COVID-19. Check out @AFTMembBen on Twitter.

Additionally, the AFL-CIO has asked us to share numbers as well, as they are also beginning to track infections and deaths among healthcare workers. We will be respectful of personal info and sharing preferences.

Around the world: 

--Out of Spain’s 40,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, 5,400 — nearly 14 percent — are medical professions

-- 90% of infected  Health care workers in Italy were infected by their coworkers not by patients

-- In Italy, France and Spain, more than 30 health care professionals have died of the coronavirus

-- Almost 5,000 health care workers on the frontline of Italy's COVID-19 crisis have contracted the coronavirus

-- At least 24 Italian doctors have died since the beginning of the nation's devastating coronavirus outbreak

-- Over 3400 Chinese HCWs infected and 18 deaths

A thought on Governors’ or state COVID-19 response teams. Lastly, if you are in communication with your governor’s office or the state emergency taskforce, please encourage them to include occupational health and safety experts on these teams.  Often, these groups only include infection control people who do not think a lot about workers’ needs.  Qualified people would include industrial hygienists or occupational health nurses from state OSHA agencies or universities, or unions. 

Thank you for the tireless giving of yourselves to our members.

Kelly

Kelly D. Trautner

Director | Health Issues

(Pronouns: she/hers)

T: 202-393-7991 |  F: 202-783-2014 |  E: ktrautne@aft.org

American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO

555 New Jersey Ave. N.W. | Washington, DC 20001 | 202-879-4597

http://www.aft.org| http://www.facebook.com/AFTunion| www.twitter.com/AFTunion

Find our latest COVID-19 Resources and Information at AFT’s Resource Page

Please send me info (jbrady@aftct.org) on any cases of our members taking care of or cleaning rooms of either suspected or confimed cases of Covid-19 without proper PPE, including N95 respirators or better. . The Governor’s office and DPH asked for specifics. 

Also, have members send a complaint to DPH EACH SHIFT THEY WORK WITHOUT N95s when caring for a suspected or confirmed patient.

• Complete the online form(FLIS Complaint Submission) in its entirety to the extent possible, including your contact information. For complaints in other states, see if your Department of Health has a similar reporting mechanis
• https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fportal.ct.gov%2FDPH%2FFacility-Licensing--Investigations%2FFacility-Licensing--Investigations-Section-FLIS%2FFLIS-Complaint-Submission&data=02%7C01%7CJBrady%40aftct.org%7Cf16ad5c8000e4d742be508d7d29e2c00%7Cc912f9978344453ea9546829e629feb3%7C0%7C0%7C637209449103348061&sdata=4vdiXls4cyomsYxt4Xj51ZeS3uAdhSJYNUc2FMhYM0Q%3D&reserved=0
• Also, if anyone is out of work and denied a continuation of income or told to use their own PTO, please talk to your leadership of field rep. You may be denied incorrectly. 

Randi will have a telephone town hall on Monday. Please share this;

John,

Over the past few weeks we’ve worked continuously to support our members and our affiliates as they respond to this pandemic.

We’ve had three priorities: First, we must address the health, safety and well-being of our members and communities. Second, we must protect and care for our frontline healthcare practitioners. And third, we must fight for legislation and policy to buffer the short- and long-term economic impact of this pandemic.

We have fixated on getting our healthcare members the personal protective equipment they need, supported locals when schools have closed down, created a wealth of resources for affiliates, and advocated for relief from Congress in the three COVID-19 response bills that have already passed. 

On Monday, March 30, at 5:30 p.m. ET, we’ll be having another membership telephone town hall. We want to check in with you and give you an update on the status of all the work we’ve done nationally. We’ll also have a psychologist on the call to discuss mental health strategies for coping with this crisis.

If you want to make sure you’re on the call, please register here by noon on Monday.

In unity, 

Randi Weingarten

Donation page from AFT Connecticut

We've all been shocked at reports of nurses and allied health professionals on the frontlines of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic facing critical shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE). As union leaders, we are proud to share the efforts of one of AFT Connecticut's field representatives to help you and your colleagues make a difference.

Our field rep Logan and his partner launched a drive to collect potentially life-saving PPE and get it into the hands of some of our 10,000 members of affiliated healthcare unions

Click here for the new "Supplies for Healthcare Heroes" website to learn more.

Perhaps you know someone who owns or works at a construction company, nail salon, tattoo parlor or other organization with an inventory of unused PPE. Or you may have connections to health professionals whose private medical or dental offices have respirators, face shields, goggles, hand sanitizer, coveralls, or disposable masks, gloves and head covers.

Click here to share the "Supplies for Healthcare Heroes" website with them today.

Your efforts — even if simply spreading the word to your friends and neighbors of this urgent need — will be greatly appreciated. Help us demonstrate the strength of the "U and I in Union" to protect those fighting to save lives.

More to come, and In solidarity,

Bill Garrity, RN

Vice President for Healthcare, AFT Connecticut

John Brady, RN

Vice President, AFT Connecticut

Jan Hochadel

President, AFT Connecticut

P.S. Click here to share a graphic promoting the drive on social media.

This is a letter to the American Hospital Association from unions, community, and activist groups demanding the AHA strongly denounce any hospital that tries to muzzle Healthcare Workers from speaking out about the Pandemic. 

March 27, 2020

Richard J. Pollack

President and Chief Executive Officer American Hospital Association

800 10th Street, N.W.

Two CityCenter, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20001-4956 Delivered by email to rick@aha.org

Dear Mr. Pollack:

We were appalled to read recent media reports about hospital administrators across the U.S.

muzzling doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals with threats of disciplinary action

for speaking out about coronavirus patient caseloads and dwindling hospital supplies needed to

1

It is critical that the public and local, state, and federal government officials fully comprehend the scope of shortages of personal protective equipment, mechanical ventilators, intensive care unit beds, and other medical supplies so that appropriate steps can be taken to mitigate shortages of these essential medical resources, appropriately and fairly allocate limited resources, and thus protect the safety and welfare of health care workers and patients alike.

Attempts to cover up these shortages by muzzling health care workers who are on the front lines of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic are reprehensible and reckless and endanger public health. Although such actions may be commonplace in countries with authoritarian regimes, they are not acceptable in the U.S.

The undersigned consumer advocacy, workers’ rights, science, research, public health, civil rights, human rights, and grassroots political organizations, labor unions, and individuals therefore demand that the American Hospital Association publicly denounce any such efforts to muzzle health care professionals and call on its member hospitals and health care systems to encourage their doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals to speak freely about coronavirus patient caseloads, dwindling hospital supplies, and any other challenges that should be immediately addressed.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this urgent public health matter. Please contact Dr. Michael Carome, Director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, at mcarome@citizen.org with your response.

Sincerely,

Alliance for Retired Americans American 

Civil Liberties Union 

American Federation of Teachers

American Medical Student Association
American Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP)
BlueGreen Alliance
Business for Medicare for All
Center for Reproductive Rights
Communications Workers of America
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, US Provinces
Consumer Action
Debs-Jones-Douglass Institute
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
Doctors for America
Equality North Carolina
Glenn Paulson, Ph.D., BCES, Sc.D. (Hon.), Retired Professor, George Washington University,
Milken Institute School of Public Health
International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of
America, (UAW) IUE-CWA
Justice at Work
Knowledge Ecology International
Labor of Love Safety Training and Consulting (Diane Matthew Brown, CIT) Martin S. Kanovsky, M.D., FACP, FACC, FASNC, FASE
Mary E Miller, R.N., M.N., Occupational Health Nurse
MassCOSH
Medicare for All Now
Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Center for Health Research
National Center for Healthy Housing
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Employment Law Project
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
National Nurses United
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Women’s Law Center
National Women's Health Network
New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy People's Action
PhilaPOSH
Physicians for Reproductive Health
Progress America
Progressive Democrats of America
Progressive Doctors
Public Advocacy for Kids
Public Citizen
Public Justice Center
Right Care Alliance

SafeWork Washington
San Francisco AIDS Foundation
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Social Security Works
The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers United Steelworkers
Universal Health Care Action Network
V. Ram Krishnamoorthi, M.D., M.P.H., Chicago, Illinois
Virginia Organizing
Western New York Council on Occupational Safety & Health

                                                                                                            

Here is an example from Hartford Healthcare’s internal newspaper that goes to all employees. Notice the “Don’t talk to Media”  They placed it in the section on Patient Privacy, but the message was clear to employees.

From Danbury

Hi John,

     This is the Covid-19 Binder (attached below) our nurse Educator Laura Dickens made for our Covid units.  She said I can share with my Union areas and I do want you to know other hospitals including Brigham and another Boston Hospital is wanting these to use to assist the nurses.  We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful and smart educator.  One of Laura's scientist colleges is also doing a study of a way to disinfect/sterilize the N95 masks.  Please share this with other Hospitals that may be interested.  Laura wants the best safety for all Front line workers.

               Sincerely,

                       Janice

If you are reading this on the blog and would like any of the below attachments, please email me at jbrady@aftct.org

Please, please, please be safe. 

You’re important to us,

John

John Brady RN

Vice President

AFT Connecticut

Corona Virus update 3/27

We are 21 days since our first confirmed case of Covid-19 in Connecticut. 1291 confirmed cases (up from 1012 yesterday), 173 hospitalized, 27 dead.
Kiowa Kelly, a nurse in New York died and we lost our first AFT members, a member of our higher Ed NY FIT family and a healthcare transporter from our NJ HPAE family. Our prayers are with our sisters and brothers.

I’m frustrated tonight. I told Jan after a very frustrating call with state officials that I feel like I’m yelling but no one is listening. She said to keep yelling. I have to thank her, she understands and she cares and that means so much. Randi does too. Thank you both.
At some point I realized that the frustration I was feeling was what you have been feeling. What Sheri and Bill tell me on our phone calls, what Janice says in her emails, what Melanie says in her text.
Please hang in there and know you are not alone.
These are frustrating times and our employers may not care, and sometimes our government may not care, but WE care. We care for our members and we care for our patients. And remember, your members are frustrated too, and many of them scared.
So.....lets get to it.

From AFT (file is at the end and you can print and distribute)

Take Action to Address the Worldwide Shortage

of Respirators and Face Protection for COVID-19 Response

This alert is a call to action to address the shortage of PPE and respirators needed to protect healthcare workers who are assigned to care for patients who are suspect or confirmed COVID- 19 cases. We know from past pandemics that frontline healthcare workers have a high risk of exposure. Historically and in the current pandemic there have been reports of large numbers of healthcare workers being infected and some deaths. Protecting our healthcare workers is not only a moral imperative but essential to maintaining the necessary professional staff to provide care to the infected and diseased during this crisis.

Why do healthcare workers need respiratory protection?

Short-range aerosol transmission is likely an important means of transmission of COVID-19. Multiple studies have documented aerosol transmission for influenza, SARS, and MERS. These pathogens show many similarities to COVID-19. The precautionary approach requires preventing aerosol exposure to healthcare workers.

Have you ever seen dust particles traveling through the air in a beam of light? Some of these eventually deposit on surfaces, but many remain airborne for long periods. Have you ever used hairspray or aerosolized cooking oil? Many of those droplets remain airborne nearby as you inhale particles and smell hairspray and cooking oil for several minutes. The same thing happens when someone coughs or sneezes. Talking, breathing, coughing, and sneezing create an aerosol containing particles in a range of sizes, with some viable infectious

 What is an aerosol?

Simply defined, it is tiny particle, or a droplet suspended in air.

organisms present in both small and large particles.

Contrary to popular belief, the larger particles (5 to 15 micrometers [μm]) will not immediately drop to the ground but will remain airborne for several minutes. Smaller particles (less than 5 μm) will remain in the air for many minutes or even hours.

All particles will immediately begin to evaporate because mucus contains a lot of water which means the range of particle sizes will decrease overall. Smaller particles are more likely to remain airborne. In the absence of air currents, airborne particles will disperse slowly throughout a space.  

This is why we need N95s for ALL suspected and confirmed Covid-19 patient's. 

Remember, if someone wants to donate PPE

https://www.suppliesforhealthcareheroes.org/

We had a conversation with DPH about what its really like on the floors. She was pleasant and all and said she’d really like to hear from us if we have a complaint.

So......I’d like you to encourage your members to use this webpage and file a complaint EACH AND EVERY SHIFT that they work with either a rule out or confirmed Covid-19 patient without full PPE, including N95s. It would help if they also emailed you and me Jbrady@aftct.org

We’ll get somewhere if we push back.

The webpage is 

https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Facility-Licensing--Investigations/Facility-Licensing--Investigations-Section-FLIS/FLIS-Complaint-Submission

A reminder from our attorney 

The short answer to your questions is

YES. Any nurse who contracts COVID-19 should file a Workers Compensation claim- Form 30C (attached). You should also complete the employer’s incident report.

Being told to stay home is a little different. Our position is that a directive to stay home when someone is NOT sick should be considered paid leave and not charged as PTO. The person is not sick, not on vacation, etc.

If the person becomes sick with the virus, file a claim right away.

Hope this helps and thank you for what you and your members are doing.

 Regards,

 Eric

CHS Local, our Federally Qualified Health Center is negotiating terms because they have slowed down in this pandemic. They could get busy again. They serve the most needed and are located right int he community of north Hartford.

Our good friend Joanne Chapin, President of New Milford RNs has decided to retire. She was going to wait till the end of the year, but Covid closed her surgical unit. Today was her last day. She will stay on as president until elections can e held (they were interrupted by the pandemic) Joanne has offered to help in any way she can. (I’m making a list) Joanne served as an AFT Connecticut Vice President and on the AFT PPC. 

I want to thank you. I was frustrated this afternoon but that helped me understand probably a tenth of your frustration, so it served some good. I’m tired, but you are too. 

The truth is, you give me strength.

Your dedication to your members rejuvenates me and is an inspiration. 

We are family.

I feel that with you, with the folks from around the country, the folks in other divisions, and with the people at AFT. 

Be safe, be well.

John

John Brady RN
Vice President
AFT Connecticut

Corona Virus update 3/26

We are 20 days since our first confirmed case of Covid-19 in Connecticut.

We now have 1012 laboratory-confirmed cases. Up from 875 yesterday.

125 have been hospitalized.

21 have died.

Portion of the Statement from the AFL-CIO Executive Board 

The 55 unions representing 12.5 million union members who make up the AFL-CIO—including workers on the front lines—are working nonstop to empower and protect people in harm’s way. 

This is a statement from the Afl-CIO Executive Board.

Current guidance from the federal government—in particular for workers in the transportation and health care sectors—is inadequate, and protective guidance must be developed for all at-risk workers and made public on a priority basis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must strengthen, rather than weaken, existing guidance or protocols. Particularly, CDC must reverse its change that now permits health care workers to rely on surgical masks instead of protective N95 respirators or a greater level of protection when caring for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

The Connecticut AFL-CIO Executive Committee 

had a call with Senator Blumenthal today. This is what we told him:

The biggest problem for our healthcare workers is the shortage of and 95 respirators. In Spain, 5400 healthcare workers have contracted CORVID 19 and 30 have died. As we increase beds and vents in an effort to try to get 2 to 3 times the capacity we have now we can’t afford to lose any healthcare workers and have infected healthcare workers spread the virus to other patients their families in the community. 

There are two issues. 

One is the shortage of PPE. We need to pull from the strategic reserves and we need to increase production like they did during World War II. 

The second issue is that the CDC guidance has been relaxed, not due to infection control science, but do rather to projected supply. The CDC breaks the strategies into three classifications, conventional, contingency, and crisis. Danbury and UConn Farmington are using and 95’s for any positive Covid patients or patients they are trying to rule out. 

At our other hospitals N95s are being rationed and we are having to use surgical mask which according to the national Institute of health study will not protect the workers. Hospitals are justifying this by using the CDC crisis capacity guidelines.

This, even though when we asked for an inventory and supply chain information from Backus Hospital, they said they had a four week supply and A reliable supply chain. 

What I would like to ask is that you do anything you can to pressure hospitals to allow the healthcare workers to use N95’s for positive and rule out Covid patients, even if they have to use the same N95 for an entire shift. 

Something they are willing to do and something that would keep them, their patients, their families, and their community safer.

Senator Blumenthal promised to push the hospitals. 

Representative Joe Courtney 

of Connecticut’s 2nd Congressional District, which represents Eastern Connecticut said on his telephone town hall tonight that PPE is a priority and N95s in particular because this is an “airborne pathogen.” Joe reminded people that he is married to an APRN so this is near and dear to his heart.  It was good to hear those words.

UHP

UCONN Health has come to us with an alternate staffing plan, Essentially moving everyone to 12 hour shifts and adding on call for everyone.

We've not said no but we need to Bargain the impact. They are talking about taking RN's not doing pt care, in salaried positions and them moving them into Hourly jobs, Some 4-5 salary grades higher than a staff nurse. there is so much to look at, when we said we would be delivering a demand to bargain letter they were shocked.

In a conversation with the CEO, He says we have enough PPE for 6-8 weeks of "current use". We will be giving an FOI request for weekly updates for PPE stockpile as this is a safety issue.

AFT asked if we had a nurse who could be on a virtual town hall with VP Biden tomorrow and call in to ask a question. They wanted a bedside nurse and we have a UHP member who stepped forward. 

The VNA of SE CT has presented a proposed MOU.

Good evening Mary, in response to safety issues and concerns brought forth by AFT Local 5119 the VNA has responded  that “the decisions were sent down from YALE” (or words to that effect). The policies created by YALE include items that are mandatory subjects of bargaining. A previous request to bargain has gone unanswered, therefore this local union is initiating bargaining by submitting the attached proposal. Given the health and safety concerns of gathering people together, this union is initiating this bargaining process to be done electronically using a combination of email and telephone communications.

 It is the goal of this union to reach a fair and equitable agreement that meets the needs of the employer while also allowing the employees to feel confident that they can report to work; fully trained with sufficient safety gear to provide the proper care and service to their patients. To continue safely performing their work these employees must be provided the required safety PPE, be properly trained, have written (agreed upon) policies and procedures to know that their safety and the safety of the patients is not being placed at risk.

 Given the seriousness of this situation and the increasing threat of confirmed positive COVID-19 patients the urgency of this cannot be emphasized enough. The Executive Board of AFT Local 5119 and I will use every effort available and make every possible attempt to respond to questions you or your counsel may have as promptly as possible.   

Screening process at Backus starting
Your temperature will be taken and if you have a 100-degree temperature or above, you will be asked to call the Clinical Command Center at 860.972.8100 for further evaluation. HHC Clinical Command Center will offer priority service to HHC colleagues from 7 am to 7 pm, seven days a week. While the center answers calls around the clock, if you call from 7 am to 7 pm, your call will be quickly routed to an expert who can provide HHC-specific information about COVID-19 exposure, symptoms testing, return to work protocols and more.

Backus Nurses had 3 telephone town halls to update members and will do the same next Wednesday, 4/2, at 8:00, 4:00, and 8:00.

The website for collecting PPE donations is up and live. Check it out and let us know what you think. https://www.suppliesforhealthcareheroes.org/ 

This article is from Europe. In Spain 40,000 have tested positive. 5400 healthcare workers have become positive. 14% of all cases. 

30 healthcare workers have died.

Think about that.

The reason is believed to be a lack of PPE. Some Madrid hospitals have told employees not to speak out. (Sound familiar?)

http://dcmedicalnews.org/newsletter/2020/03-26/3-2020,%203-24-Coronavirus%20in%20Europe,%20Thousands%20of%20Health%20Workers%20Out%20of%20Action,%20NYT.pdf?mc_cid=8c4b6d1569&mc_eid=ba1241137f

Some resources from Kelly (AFT NHP)

We are finding and creating resources and want to share them in a way that is useful for you. Many thanks to Sara Markle for assembling this information. The topics addressed in this update include:  

1. A PPE burn rate calculator
2. Extended and Re-use of N95s
3. Decontamination of N95s
4. Homemade PPE
5. Quality of expired national stockpile respirators

1. PPE Burn Rate Calculator

NIOSH just created a PPE Burn Rate Calculator to help employers forecast how long their supply will last.  We recommend you give this to the employers.

(attached and link here https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/burn-calculator.html )

  

2. Extended N95 Use and Re-Use

Thank you to HPAE for sharing this easy-to-use factsheet based on NIOSH guidance on extended use and re-use document

(attached and linked here https://www.hpae.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/HPAE-Pandemic-Planning-Guide.pdf )

  

3. Decontamination of N95s

a.       NIOSH will soon release guidance on decontamination methods. We expect to see this guidance any day and will send it out as soon as we see it. 

b.       Stanford University post—includes some decontamination information and info on homemade PPE

This post has some information different methods for decontaminating N95s.  The methodology is not as rigorous as what NIOSH employs.

https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fstanfordmedicine.box.com%2Fv%2Fcovid19-PPE-1-1

c.       University of Nebraska Med report on using UV germicidal irradiation, email me for this at Jbrady@aftct.org

4. Creation of homemade PPE

a.       YouTube video—how to make an elastomeric respirator using an anesthesia mask and Inline ventilator bacterial/viral filter (or similar filter)/Boston Children’s Hospital

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es_iY5WJdmI

b.       Using 3-d technology to print faceshields

https://www.ehstoday.com/health/article/21126765/using-3d-to-print-face-shields-to-help-ease-shortage-due-to-virus

c.       Stanford University post—non-rigorous evaluation of homemade PPE and some decontamination information

https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fstanfordmedicine.box.com%2Fv%2Fcovid19-PPE-1-1

5. NIOSH Report on quality of expired respirators in the national strategic stockpile in warehouses around the country

NIOSH found that 98% of the airpurifying respirators tested from ten stockpile facilities and manufactured between 2003-2013 maintained their inhalation and exhalation resistance and filtration performance in accordance with NIOSH performance standards. Report is here https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/ppecase/pdfs/PPE-CASE-Aggregated-Stockpile-Study-03252020-508.pdf

  

We became aware that members are being put out of work because they may have had an exposure or symptoms and may not be reaching out to their Locals. They may be told that they have to use their own PTO or sick time. PLEASE reach out to your members and have them notify you if this happens. They may be eligible for workers compensation or paid administrative leave. Reach out to your filed rep or to me and lets see what we can do about this, either through our lawyers or by shaming them. 

Jan, I and the divisional VPs have a call with the governor’s office and DPH tomorrow. We will bring this and the PPE issue to them and we will reach out to our political and news friends. The claim is that maybe they didn’t pick it up at work. That may be true, but it’s more likely that they did.

It’s not right.

You and our healthcare members truly are hero’s. 

You should be treated that way

Jan suggested that I start sharing my updates on my blog so more can have access. They will be at:     http://backusunited-john.blogspot.com/

Be safe my friends.

John

John Brady RN

Vice President

AFT Connecticut

Corona Virus update 3/27 (morning report)

There has been much discussion about whether N95 respirators (or better) are needed in the care of suspected or confirmed Covid-19 patients. This was caused uncertainty and anxiety among Healthcare Workers. 

This morning I reviewed the “Interim CDC guidelines and I wanted to share with you.  

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/infection-control/control-recommendations.htmlhttps://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/infection-control/control-recommendations.html

I pulled out 2 items but you should look at the guidelines in full because truth is empowering. 

Item 1:

“Mode of transmission: Early reports suggest person-to-person transmission most commonly happens during close exposure to a person infected with COVID-19, primarily via respiratory droplets produced when the infected person coughs or sneezes. Droplets can land in the mouths, noses, or eyes of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs of those within close proximity. The contribution of small respirable particles, sometimes called aerosols or droplet nuclei, to close proximity transmission is currently uncertain. However, airborne transmission from person-to-person over long distances is unlikely.”

Also, here is the results of an National Institute of Health study from March 17. 

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/new-coronavirus-stable-hours-surfaces

“The scientists found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours”

Item 2:

• Based on local and regional situational analysis of PPE supplies, facemasks are an acceptable alternative when the supply chain of respirators cannot meet the demand.  During this time, available respirators should be prioritized for procedures that are likely to generate respiratory aerosols, which would pose the highest exposure risk to HCP.
• Facemasks protect the wearer from splashes and sprays.
• Respirators, which filter inspired air, offer respiratory protection.
• When the supply chain is restored, facilities with a respiratory protection program should return to use of respirators for patients with known or suspected COVID-19. 

Item 3:

From a recent WNPR article 

https://www.wnpr.org/post/covid-19-forcing-connecticut-health-care-providers-ration-protective-masks

“Dr. Jim Cardon, Hartford HealthCare’s chief clinical integration officer, told reporters at a Monday news conference that the hospital network’s supply of this type of mask is  currently in “good shape,” and that there wasn’t yet a need to ration the N95s by way of re-use.

“We don't do that unless we are convinced it's safe to do so,” Cardon said. “If we have confidence that we can reuse these things with the same effectiveness as the approved use of these things, we will need to consider that, but at this time, we have not put that in our execution plan at the moment."

But John Brady, the executive vice president of AFT Connecticut, said he’s hearing different reports from hospital workers in his union.

He said some Hartford HealthCare providers are using masks according to “crisis-level” guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control -- which include wearing them for more than one visit. Others are forced to see patients who might have COVID-19 wearing surgical masks that are less protective.”