Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Touted His Administration's Efforts To Secure PPE, But Health Workers Say It's Far From Enough
Politico: Trump Called PPE Shortages 'Fake News.' Health Care Workers Say They're Still A Real Problem.
President Donald Trump often opens his evening news briefings on the pandemic by rattling off a list of actions his administration has taken to secure protective gear for frontline health workers, claiming dire shortages have been resolved. But hospitals, nursing homes and caregivers across the country tell POLITICO they are still struggling to obtain medical masks, gloves and gowns, undercutting Trump’s assertions. (Doherty and Ehley, 4/26)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Emory Tests Sterilization To Reuse Disposable Protective Gear
Emory University and its health care system are acquiring seven sophisticated sterilization machines to extend the life of single-use protective gear such as respirator masks as hospitals across the country fighting the coronavirus grapple with shortages of critical supplies. The new Bioquell machines use vaporized hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate medical equipment in about two hours. Emory is first using the machines to decontaminate so-called powered air-purifying respirator hoods (PAPR) and is testing the machines to decontaminate N95 masks, isolation gowns and disposable stethoscopes. (Trubyey, 4/24)
The New York Times: ‘Possible Covid’: Why The Lulls Never Last For Weary E.M.S. Crews
For seven and a half hours, the two New York City paramedics had worked a surprisingly normal shift: a few people with difficulty breathing, one trip to the hospital — and, miraculously it seemed, no clear cases of coronavirus. They were about to head back to their station when an urgent call flashed over their dispatch screen: cardiac arrest, with a patient who had been feeling sick for a week. “Heads up,” a radio barked. “Possible Covid.” (Watkins, 4/27)
The New York Times: Coronavirus Volunteer Emergency Responders Face A Dilemma: Save Lives Or Stay Safe
In Teaneck, N.J., half of the town’s volunteer ambulance corps is out sick, in quarantine or staying home to avoid potential exposure to the coronavirus. The remaining 25 are responding to double the usual number of daily calls, racing from one high fever or respiratory distress emergency to the next. In Rockville, a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C., hit hard by the virus, more than 10 percent of the 160-member volunteer ambulance force has stopped taking shifts, either because they tested positive for the virus or because underlying health conditions have forced them indoors. (Levin, 4/26)
Bangor Daily News: Maine Health Care Providers Ask Mills For Legal Immunity During Coronavirus Emergency
More than a dozen Maine health care industry groups representing hospitals, nursing homes, doctors and others are asking Gov. Janet Mills for civil and criminal immunity during the civil state of emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (Andrews, 4/25)
The Associated Press: 'You Are A Miracle': Home Care Is New Front In Virus Fight
Ruth Caballero paused outside an unfamiliar apartment door, preparing to meet her new patient. She covered the knob with a plastic bag. Put on a surgical gown, then a heavy-duty N95 mask, a lighter surgical mask on top. Cap, face shield, shoe covers. Hand sanitizer between each step of the process. Finally, the nurse donned two sets of gloves and knocked on the door with her elbow, ready to care for her first coronavirus patient. (Peltz, 4/26)
Boston Globe: This Nurse’s Friends Were Skeptical About Coronavirus. Then She Drove North To Work At MGH
Travel nurses are accustomed to being thrown into unfamiliar and unsteady situations. In normal times, the profession entails a string of three-month assignments at the hospitals experiencing surges or staffing shortages. Ski towns, for example, take on surplus emergency department nurses in the winter to help with broken bones and dislocations, while metropolitan hospitals may hire a travel nurse to temporarily fill the spot of a staffer on medical leave. (Krueger, 4/24)
Boston Globe: ‘They Fought This And They Won’: Hospital Workers Applaud, Play Songs As Coronavirus Patients Finally Go Home
The upbeat songs are played over the hospital intercoms. The applause can be heard from far-off hallways. These are the sounds of celebration, of relief, of hope .In recent weeks, hospitals across the region have launched joyous sendoffs for recovered coronavirus patients as they leave the hospital — a celebration both for the patients and for the health care workers who treated them. It’s a trend that seemed to initially take hold in New York and has spread to Massachusetts. (Gams. 4/24)
PBS NewsHour: Revisiting A Doctor On The Front Line Of The Pandemic
Back in March, as the United States was just beginning to experience a steep rise in coronavirus cases, NewsHour Weekend spoke with Dr. Alexis Langsfeld, who works in the emergency department of a New York City hospital, now in the epicenter of the pandemic. (Murthy, 4/26)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Health Care Workers Demand OSHA Hospital Inspections
State investigators must inspect hospitals before resolving workplace safety complaints during the coronavirus pandemic, Nevada’s largest health care union formally demanded Friday. In a two-page letter sent to the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Nevada chapter of Service Employees International Union outlined hazards it alleges are still ongoing at a swath of large hospitals across the state. (Davidson, 4/24)
San Francisco Chronicle: Stanford Hospital System To Cut Pay 20%, Furlough Workers During Coronavirus Pandemic
At perhaps the worst possible time, the Stanford hospital system is cutting pay and staff as the medical field around the country deals with the coronavirus pandemic and the mounting fears and stresses of their employees. (Simmons, 4/26)
