WASHINGTON — Four months into the pandemic and nurses at Medstar Washington Hospital Center say they're still being forced to reuse masks -- a practice that never would have been tolerated in the past.
The nurses said dozens of them have gotten sick at the hospital -- and one has died.
Yuhana Gidey is among the more than 50 nurses that the National Nurses United union said has contracted COVID-19 at Medstar Washington Hospital Center. She said there were days she thought she was going to die.
"Body aches, fever, debilitating exhaustion," she said, describing two and a half weeks of illness.
In April, nurse Helen Gbodi died according to National Nurses United. The union said she got sick after caring for an infected patient at the hospital.
A spokeswoman for the hospital declined to confirm any specific numbers or cases, but said the hospital disputed the accuracy of the union's account.
"It's a reality," Gidey said. "And if nothing is done and no measures are taken, we will continue to see this rise."
"What do we want? PPE! When do we want it? Now!" shouted a dozen nurses at a protest Thursday morning outside the hospital. "PPE is disposable, nurses are not," their signs said.
The nurses are demanding the hospital stop forcing them to reuse N95 respirators.
"We are calling on Medstar to abandon the unproven and unsafe reuse of so-called decontaminated masks," nurse Zoe Bendixen said.
The hospital defended what it's doing in a statement:
"National Nurses United (NNU) has advised MedStar Washington Hospital Center that they oppose any conservation methods for personal protective equipment (PPE) for nurses. The safety of our associates is always a top priority, and like more than 500 hospitals across the country, we chose Vapor Phase Hydrogen Peroxide (VPHP) decontamination of N95 masks based on careful consideration of the science and scientific recommendations. The process is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and has emergency use authorization approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Since May, hospital leaders have met with NNU repeatedly to explain that global demand for PPE created by the coronavirus pandemic far exceeds global supplies. While we have always maintained adequate supplies, the hospital has been continuously investing in new PPE. Given the fact that the global pandemic is likely to continue for many more months, conservation of PPE in addition to acquisition of new PPE is the only responsible approach. Since March, we have instructed any associate with symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or concerns about COVID-19 exposure, to contact Occupational Health to evaluate symptoms and the need for rapid access to screening and testing. These steps are in alignment with CDC guidance. We continue to prepare and plan ahead for the safety of our patients and associates as COVID-19 remains a threat to our region and our country."
But the nurses said the hospital -- and the U.S. -- needs to secure enough protective equipment or more frontline heroes will die.
CDC guidance say health care facilities can only reuse PPE in a crisis, when supplies cannot meet the facility's current or projected rate of use. Most of the masks are designed to be disposed of after a single-use. Some of the nurses complain that they're getting back respirators that are soiled and smell like chemicals.
A spokesman for Battelle -- which is processing them --insists that any masks that are soiled with blood, mucus or make-up are immediately thrown away.