MNA Nurses Are Outraged by Committee on Public Health's Refusal to Allow Frontline Nurses to Testify at an Oct. 16 Public Hearing on Ebola Preparedness in the State at a Time When Nurses Across Mass. Report a Lack of Education, Training and Proper Protective Equipment to Respond to an Outbreak

BOSTON, Oct. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being released by Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United:

WHERE: State House Room B2

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m.

WHO: The Joint Committee on Public Health is holding a hearing on Ebola Preparedness. Since nurses are being prohibited from testifying about their serious concerns, the MNA will have nurses available to meet with the media outside the hearing room so that the public is provided with a true picture of our readiness.

In the wake of widespread reports by frontline nurses in Massachusetts and across the nation that they lack the education, training, protocols and protective equipment to safely care for patients presenting to our hospitals and other health care facilities with Ebola, the Joint Committee on Public Health is refusing to allow frontline nurses from the Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United to testify tomorrow at a public hearing on Ebola preparedness. The decision to silence nurses who stand to have the greatest impact on the successful response to an Ebola outbreak, as well as those most at risk for being infected themselves, comes after two nurses in Dallas are fighting for their lives after being exposed to the virus, which appears to be directly related to inadequate preparation, policies and protective equipment for staff. 

"Hospitals may say they are ready, but the tragic Dallas experience is "Exhibit A" for the likelihood that many or most are not," said Donna Kelly Williams, RN, President of the MNA/NNU. "Contrary to what many hospital administrators say about preparedness, nurses are reporting a very different story. Very few report having any training on the issue, very few have what we consider appropriate protective equipment (Hazmat suits), there is no uniform plan in place on how to handle Ebola in our state. The bottom line is nurses do not feel prepared. We are outraged that those who are charged with overseeing the public health of the Commonwealth are refusing to hear our concerns and recommendations to ensure the safety of the public. 

Since the committee will not allow nurses to testify at the hearing, the MNA/NNU will have nurses outside the hearing room to meet with the media so they receive the full story about preparedness in Massachusetts.   

Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United is the largest professional health care organization and the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public. The MNA is a founding member of National Nurses United, the largest national nurses' union in the United States with more than 170,000 members from coast to coast.

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SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association/National Nurses United

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http://www.massnurses.org