Texas Ebola Transmission Brings Calls For Better Training For Nurses
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Amid concerns over a couple of cases of Ebola in Texas, nurses nationwide are sounding the alarm that the nation's hospitals aren't doing enough to protect them or the public.
The worries come after a 26-year-old nurse tested positive for Ebola after treating the country's first Ebola patient in Dallas. The patient died weeks after contracting the disease.
While the actual infection in the nurse is relatively low, the California Nurses Association is concerned her exposure is the result of hospitals not being prepared for the potentially deadly disease.
Local nurse Carol Kinser, with National Nurses United says the fear of Ebola is growing a day after the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the Dallas nurse tested positive.
"I believe it's an indication that she was not trained properly," Kinser said. "Right now we do not have enough protective equipment, and a policy in place to really protect healthcare workers and patients."
Kinser says beyond high-quality hazardous materials suits, the nurses association is demanding interactive training she says most hospitals aren't willing to pay for.
"We need interactive training, we need for a specialist to come in show us, tell us about this disease process," she said.
None of the regional hospitals CBS13 reached out to were willing to speak on camera for this story, though they said they are well-prepared.
Jan Emerson Shea with the California Hospital Association, which represents almost all hospitals in California, says their medical centers are doing everything they can.
"I don't think there is any indication that hospitals haven't been doing enough," she said. "We don't know the facts though of what has happened in Texas. So what we need to do is wait and get the facts of what occurred."
