Nurses gathered in Westwood Tuesday to share frustrations about hospital conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A number of nurses as well as unions, including the National Nurses United and California Nurses Association, rallied in front of the UCLA Medical Center Tuesday evening, calling for more protection and equipment to treat coronavirus patients.
Speakers said there are huge problems all around the state with a lack of proper protective gear and training in treating patients with the highly infectious virus.
“In order to keep you safe we must be kept safe. We are putting ourselves at risk,” Marcia Santini, a registered nurse, said.
Nurses say it’s becoming harder to find the N95 masks they usually wear when in direct contact with patients who are possibly infected.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that surgical masks are sufficient. But the nurses outside UCLA said they strongly disagree.
“This is like we’re soldiers going to war,” Fong Chuu, another registered nurse, said. “If we’re not equipped well, we’re not going to win this battle.”