Health Care/Social Assistance

Sacramento, CA — Aiming to protect physicians and injured workers from exposure to COVID-19, the California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Workers’ Compensation has adopted an emergency regulation that allows medical-legal evaluations to be performed via telehealth.

Boston — Common types of N95 respirators – widely used by health care professionals providing direct care to patients with COVID-19 – can be safely reprocessed up to 25 times to help augment supplies during future pandemics, results of a recent study by Boston researchers suggest.

New York — More than half of nurses in a recent survey say they had trouble sleeping during the first six month of the COVID-19 pandemic – a risk factor for increased feelings of anxiety and depression.

Arlington, VA — Workers who process reusable medical instruments and equipment may be regularly exposed to tissue, blood and patient fluids – even when wearing personal protective equipment, results of a recent study suggest.

Washington — Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Alma Adams (D-NC) are calling on the Department of Labor and OSHA to reverse course on the agency’s plan to withdraw the non-recordkeeping portions of its emergency temporary standard for COVID-19 focused on health care workers.

Salem, OR — Oregon OSHA has launched a Spanish-language online training course on bloodborne pathogens for health care, emergency response, hospitality and other industries.

Washington — Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) has joined 114 other members of Congress in calling on OSHA to issue a permanent standard on COVID-19 focused on health care workers.

Washington — The AFL-CIO and National Nurses United are part of a coalition of labor unions and organizations that has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Labor and OSHA, petitioning a federal court to direct the agency to issue a permanent standard on COVID-19 focused on health care workers.

Washington — OSHA is withdrawing the non-recordkeeping portions of its emergency temporary standard for COVID-19 focused on health care workers, the agency announced Dec. 27.

Silver Spring, MD — The nation’s largest union and professional association of registered nurses is urging Congress to pass pending legislation that would “end the industry-created nurse staffing crisis” by setting mandated staffing levels in hospitals, as well as take other actions that would improve working conditions for nurses.