Renewed Call for President Obama To Issue Executive Order Directing Hospitals to Follow Highest Ebola Standards

National Nurses United today praised Briana Aguirre, a registered nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas for speaking out about serious lapses in safety protocols at the hospital following the arrival of the late Thomas Eric Duncan with the Ebola virus.

The ongoing revelations about Texas Health Presbyterian further emphasize the need for President Obama to “immediately order all U.S. hospitals to meet the highest uniform, national standards and protocols to safely protect patients, all healthcare workers and the public.”

NNU made the formal request to the President in a letter yesterday. “We continue to await his response,” said NNU Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro today.

“Briana is an registered nurse hero who has inspired nurses across the nation with her incredible courage and dedication to public safety in her decision to speak out publicly about the conditions at her Dallas hospital,” DeMoro said.

Aguirre is one of the RNs who called NNU earlier this week whose collective comments were released in a statement read by NNU to news reporters on Tuesday.

“Nurses across the U.S. have been deeply moved by the heroism of Briana, as well as her other colleagues who have called us, in serving as a national model of patient advocacy in their call for greater protections for patients, nurses and other health care workers in the face of this extremely dangerous virus,” DeMoro said.

“We could not be more proud of Briana, are grateful for her contacting us, and join with nurses and the public everywhere in praying for her safety.”

In the statement released by NNU Tuesday, the nurses said that “no one knew what the protocols were or were able to verify what kind of personal protective equipment should be worn and there was no training,” and they talked about constantly changing guidelines and inadequate supplies (statement available upon request).

At least two RNs have now been infected by the Ebola virus at Texas Health Presbyterian, with one announcement coming just hours after release of the statement by NNU.

The full statement by the Dallas RNs is available at http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/blog/entry/statement-by-registered-nurses-at-texas-health-presbyterian-hospital-in-dal/

NNU’s letter to President Obama is available at http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/page/-/files/graphics/1014_Ebola_Letter_Obama.pdf