The head of the largest nurses’ union in Massachusetts sent an update Thursday to Governor Charlie Baker on what healthcare professionals on the front line of the pandemic need most.
Massachusetts Nurses Association president Donna Kelly-Williams says the first priority is making sure that nurses have the equipment and staffing levels that they need to treat victims of COVID-19.
“What we have learned from Italy and from China is that that was a major concern, that we did not have enough ventilators so when patients did need them for that critical time during their viral period that we need to make sure that we have enough of those and that we have the staff necessary to run those things,” she told WAMC.
The MNA is also calling for triage to be performed outside of emergency rooms, suggesting tents be erected offsite to screen incoming patients. The union also wants to see the cancellation of elective surgeries statewide to focus resources on addressing the pandemic, while avoiding layoffs.
