Registered nurses at 15 HCA Healthcare hospitals in seven states held actions Wednesday and Thursday to protest a lack of preparedness by the nation’s largest hospital chain, which includes Blake Medical Center and Doctors Hospital of Sarasota.

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Registered nurses at 15 HCA Healthcare hospitals, including Blake Medical Center in Bradenton and Doctors Hospital of Sarasota, held protests Wednesday and Thursday to call attention to what they see as a failure by the nation’s largest hospital chain to protect its health care workers.

Nurses who took part in Thursday’s demonstration cited a lack of preparation by the hospital chain, which has manifested itself in a shortage of personal protective equipment, exposure to unsafe working conditions and a disregard for communication and transparency.

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Standing in front of Blake Medical Center and Doctors Hospital early Thursday morning, the nurses held signs to raise awareness of these conditions, which they say pose a threat not only to themselves, but to the community as a whole — especially as they anticipate what will likely be a surge in coronavirus cases over the coming weeks.

“We’re extremely concerned that we might not be able to handle a surge in COVID-19 patients, and that’s why it’s so important to protect nurses and other health care workers,” said Geniece Hunt, a nurse for 26 years, with nearly 18 of those years coming at Doctors Hospital of Sarasota. “We need the right tools to be able to do our jobs safely. If nurses get sick because they aren’t being protected and can’t work, then we won’t have anyone to care for the patients. This is a critical need.”

A written statement sent Thursday from HCA Healthcare West Florida, which both hospitals are part of, said that while their colleagues have real concerns, the worldwide shortage of personal protective equipment is a challenge that is not unique to their hospitals and that it sees the protest as a way to advance the union and not the nurses.

“HCA Healthcare West Florida is doing everything it can to equip our patient care teams to provide safe, effective care to the people we serve, unwavering in our dedication despite the unique challenges presented by COVID-19. The National Nurses Union is trying to use this crisis to advance its own interest — organizing more members,” reads the email.

The NNU represents 10,000 RNs at 19 HCA hospitals in California, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada and Texas.

The statement goes on to say that their goal “since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic” has been to “protect our frontline clinicians and caregivers so they are able to continue to care for our patients and community.” It also said that they are following CDC protocols for using and conserving personal protective equipment while enacting universal masking for all of their employees, appointing a Personal Protective Equipment Steward to oversee priority deployment of gear, and creating strategically located distribution centers across their campus to quickly deliver said equipment.

“We also have taken steps to help protect the financial security of our front-line caregivers and their support colleagues, including a “pandemic pay continuation” policy even as other national healthcare systems have announced layoffs,“ reads the statement.

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N95 shortage

The protest comes amid a national shortage of personal protective equipment that has left many health care workers feeling exposed and vulnerable. But Hunt said that HCA Healthcare “knew this was coming” and should have been better prepared given all the resources at their disposal.

“They are the largest hospital health care chain in the whole country, and they can’t afford to buy and stock up on personal protective equipment ahead of time? They are making billions in profit, and here they are making you sign out for a mask?” said Hunt.

The shortage in personal protective equipment has made the N95 respirator mask both a rare and prized commodity. Capable of filtering around 95% of airborne particles, including bacteria and viruses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they can help protect wearers from infection.

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Candice Cordero, a registered nurse who has worked at Blake Medical Center for 19 years, said hospital staff is required to track down an “equipment czar” in order to check out the elusive yet valuable N95s as well as face shields.

Cordero said major inconsistencies have dominated the last couple weeks, with protocols changing on a sometimes daily basis, resulting in confusion among staff members.