Nurses to stage WH vigil on Ebola preparedness

Nurses and advocates will rally at the White House Wednesday to spark further debate over U.S. preparedness to fight Ebola.

The vigil is part of a global day of action organized by National Nurses United (NNU), the largest U.S. nursing union, to call attention to “eroding” standards for patient care.

{mosads}The events will include strikes, hospital pickets and rallies.

“If nurses had not taken to the air waves, to the streets and to the legislatures, there would have been inaction on Ebola,” said NNU Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro in a statement. 

“Everyone passed the buck. The Centers for Disease Control had no power, and Ebola is the latest in health threats, there will be more to come. Nurses are demanding patient safety.”

NNU has called for the government to mandate safety and training standards at hospitals since the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S. passed the virus to two nurses.

The group is demanding stronger personal protective gear and “continuous, rigorous, interactive” training for healthcare workers who might care for someone with the virus.

The debate began in earnest after NNU spearheaded criticism of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, where the two Ebola nurses worked.

The women recovered from the virus after being transferred to better equipped facilities. The index Ebola patient, Thomas Eric Duncan of Liberia, is the only person to die of Ebola in the United States.

The NNU will hold events Wednesday in 11 states.