page_title: National Nurses United
section_title: COVID-19
hierarchical_section_title: National Nurses United / COVID-19
caption_attribution_description: English: April 13, 2020. Sign displayed at honking car caravan circling UCLA Medical Center (SM) to support NNU nurses.
context_page_description: National Nurses United is the largest organization of registered nurses in the United States. The NNU, with close to 185,000 members across the country, is the most far-reaching union and professional association of registered nurses in the U.S. Founded in 2009 through the merging of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, the United American Nurses, and the Massachusetts Nurses Association, the NNU focuses on amplifying the voice of direct care RNs and patients in national policy. The union's policy positions include the enactment of safe nurse-to-patient ratios, patient advocacy rights at the Executive and State level, and legislation for single-payer health care to secure "quality healthcare for all, as a human right." The organization's goal is to "organize all direct care RNs into a single organization capable of exercising influence over the healthcare industry, governments, and employers."
context_section_description: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread complaints by nurses and other health care workers about lack of protection and proper protocols, NNU reports it filed over 125 complaints with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offices in 16 states charging specific hospitals with failing to comply with laws mandating safe workplaces.
  “This is a national emergency and far too many hospitals are still failing to ensure that our caregivers who are placing their own safety at grave risk have the protections they need to stay at the bedside for their patients,” said NNU Executive Director Bonnie Castillo, RN.
  NNU launched a petition to the US Congress demanding nurses be provided with Personal protective equipment such as N-95 masks, gloves and gowns; education and communication from hospital and nursing home employers; and isolation rooms to safely care for COVID-19 patients.
  NNU also posted a survey on its website, urging nurses to share information about their hospitals' protocols. The survey included questions about hospital screening procedures for patients with fevers or respiratory symptoms, as well as the availability of PPE and airborne isolation rooms for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
  NNU asked hospital, nursing home and other relevant health care employers to do the following:
  "Employers shall implement plans and protocols in response to COVID-19 based on the precautionary principle, which holds that lacking scientific consensus that a proposed action, policy, or act is not harmful—particularly if that harm has the potential to be catastrophic—such action, policy, or act should not be implemented and the maximum safeguards should be pursued.
   Employers shall clearly communicate with all RNs/health care workers, including notifying nurses when there is a possible or confirmed COVID-19 case.
  Employers shall provide education and training for all RNs/health care workers, including on protective gear, donning and doffing, and all other protocols relating to COVID-19.
  Employers shall provide the highest level of protection, including functioning negative pressure rooms and personal protective equipment for nurses providing care to possible and confirmed COVID-19 cases. Employers must ensure negative pressure rooms remain functional at all times during use. Highest level of PPE must include PAPR (powered air-purifying respirator), coveralls meeting ASTM (American Standard for Testing and Materials) standard, gloves, temporary scrubs, and other protections.
  Employers shall plan for surge of patients with possible or confirmed COVID-19, including plans to isolate, cohort, and to provide safe staffing.
  Employers shall conduct a thorough investigation after a COVID patient is identified to ensure all staff and individuals who were exposed are identified and notified. Any nurse/health care worker who is exposed to COVID-19 will be placed on precautionary leave for at least 14 days and will maintain pay and other benefits during the full length of that leave."
caption: April 13, 2020. Sign from honking Car Caravan in support of NNU nurses rallying outside UCLA Medical Center.
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