NYC nurses speak out on hospital needs for COVID-19 patients

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE

MORRIS PARK, Bronx (WABC) -- Nurses at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx spoke out Saturday on the need for proper medical equipment to treat coronavirus patients.The New York State Nurses Association released a statement saying Jacobi nurses are demanding N95s and other critical PPE to handle the COVID-19 outbreak.Management is limiting access to PPE equipment, the nurses say, and are asking them to reuse N95s for an entire week."This is unacceptable for nurses and the COVID-19 patients we are trying to save," the statement said.Kelley Cabrera, RN, BSN, NYSNA LBU President at Jacobi Medical Center, said nurses have always advocated for the well-being of their patients and communities."We've rallied and spoken up on their behalf. Now we're in a dire situation where our patients and our staff are repeatedly put in danger," Cabrera said. "Time and time again management has struggled with transparency regarding changes at our facility. At a time where so much depends on our collaboration, we are still seeing this occur. We know that changes are happening rapidly during this pandemic. However, we believe that the only true way we can survive this uncharted hardship is through collaboration and inclusive decision making that prioritizes the input of those of us on the front line."----------