The union is raising concerns about protective equipment for workers and transparency from OSU.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — More than 1,600 health care workers in Ohio have been infected with COVID-19.

More than 80 of them work at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, according to the nurses union.

The union is raising concerns about protective equipment for workers and transparency from OSU.

Rick Lucas is on the frontlines of the COVID-19 fight at the Wexner Medical Center.

"We are starting to see more and more patients come in, and they're very, very sick. This is a very scary virus. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. The patients crash very quickly. It's very hard. Their families can't be there with them. Oftentimes these issues come on very quickly and we don't even have time to let them call or FaceTime."

Lucas is also the President of the OSU Nurses Association, representing 4,000 nurses.

"It's tremendously stressful right now. Everyone is wearing a mask, but you can really see it in their eyes," he said. "Fear for our own safety with falling PPE standards, and lack of availability of equipment. We're worried about our patients, we're worried about our community, we're worried about our families. It's terrifying to think we could take this virus home with us to our loved ones."

Lucas says more than 80 employees — from nurses to doctors to housekeepers — are infected at the Wexner Medical Center.

He says uncounted others are home on quarantine. Ohio State will not confirm those numbers, citing privacy concerns, but says patient care is not being affected.

"While we wouldn't want them to release the names of specific employees that have COVID, we do feel it's important that the public know the number of employees that are in the hospital that are ill with it. Not only does that inform the need for increased training and resources, but it really underscores the need to have appropriate PPE."



PPE is the personal protective equipment worn by health care workers.

"Things are still very tight," Lucas said. "We're re-using masks. We've never done that before. We're issued a mask and a paper bag when we walk in the door. So we're supposed to wear that mask until it's soiled or falling apart."

The union is asking Ohio State to sit down to negotiate terms around PPE, training, and hazard pay.

"Because if we don't maintain the safety and wellness of the entire workforce, then we're not going to be able to be there to care for everyone when they need us the most."

The Ohio Nurses Association released this statement to 10TV:

"ONA is extremely disappointed with hospitals, such as the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, who are refusing to formally discuss safety concerns posed by registered nurses. The health and safety of health care workers is of critical importance during this pandemic, especially as the number in Ohio continues to rise with the latest statistics citing 21%, or 1 in 5, of those infected with COVID-19 being healthcare workers.

Furthermore, we find it imperative for hospitals to release the number of nurses and other healthcare workers who are positive for COVID-19 and quarantined due to possible exposure. ONA has heard from members that entire units at OSU Wexner Medical Center are closed because of infected workers, but those numbers remain unconfirmed because OSUWMC refuses to provide those statistics. These numbers not only inform needs for coverage and cross-training, but also the need for adequate PPE and safety practices that are overall essential to a well-functioning hospital. Additionally, Ohio needs these numbers to continue to make the case for the purchase, production and innovation surrounding PPE.

In addition, if these scenarios are happening at Ohio’s leading medical centers where nurses have a strong voice, ONA is left deeply concerned about the working conditions nurses are facing in the other hospitals across the state.

Nursing homes in Ohio have released the statistics relative to the number of COVID-19 in the interest of public safety. Bound by the same HIPPA regulations as nursing homes, hospitals should follow their lead. Nurses are once again stating the need for healthcare facilities to have effective and clear communication and collaboration with the frontline workers. This is simply a matter of safety. "

A spokesperson for Wexner Medical Center says they have nearly 30,000 employees and more than 5,000 of them are nurses.

Ohio State is not releasing or confirming the number of infected staff members, sending 10TV this statement:

"We’ve been meeting daily with members of the Ohio Nurses Association to listen and address their concerns and requests for information since the pandemic began affecting Ohio. We believe we have engaged in a transparent way consulting with leaders across the Medical Center from Nursing, Quality, Epidemiology and Supply Chain.

The health and safety of our patients, health care providers and staff are of paramount importance to us. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center adheres to current CDC guidelines for the proper use and conservation of PPE. Guidelines change frequently as we all learn more about COVID-19, and we consistently update our approach and communicate the newest guidelines to our employees.

By being proactive in leveraging our contacts and buying power as a large academic health center, we’ve been able to maintain adequate supplies. We continue to work tirelessly to purchase these necessary and scarce resources and maximize usage of those we have. Prior to a state order, we postponed elective procedures to conserve PPE. We’ve partnered with Battelle to use an FDA-approved process to sterilize N-95 masks and potentially other PPE items. This process is now being used across the country. We gratefully accept donations of commercially-produced PPE, and we’re managing those to ensure quality and distribution of the right products to the right areas. While these ongoing measures have improved our inventory of PPE, we urge our employees to rigorously comply with proper hygiene, cough etiquette, social distancing and guidelines for conserving PPE to maintain our supplies and optimize safety during an anticipated surge of COVID-19 patients in coming weeks.

Any absences we’ve had recently (COVID and non-COVID related) haven’t affected patient care. Our necessary patient care units remain open and staffed appropriately. We are cross training some health care workers to provide additional support in the event of a patient surge that requires us to staff alternate care sites such as the convention center.

We take the privacy of all of our patients very seriously. We’re not able to share details about any COVID-19 cases."

10TV requested the same information from OhioHealth and Mount Carmel.

A Mount Carmel spokesperson wrote:

"Yes, similar to many hospital systems across the country, we have staff who have been exposed to COVID-19. Mount Carmel continues to follow the guidelines issued by the CDC pertaining to exposure including quarantine, fever checks, and return to work procedures.

In an effort to respect both our staffs' privacy, Mount Carmel will not release a number breakdown of those affected; however, our staff exposure has not affected patient or staff resources."

OhioHealth also declined to release infection numbers, issuing this statement: