Items Tagged with 'Health care workers'

Health care workers who are exposed to needles – for example, those administering a COVID-19 vaccine – are at risk of sharps injuries and exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

Silver Spring, MD — Pushing back on calls to roll back certain workplace safety rules, National Nurses United contends hospital industry cost-cutting has put health care worker safety at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the “current staffing and capacity crises.”

Sacramento, CA — The California Department of Public Health has directed general acute-care hospitals to conduct weekly COVID-19 testing of all health care workers and newly admitted patients, along with immediately testing employees with signs or symptoms of the disease.

Silver Spring, MD — Global Nurses United is demanding stronger COVID-19 guidance from the World Health Organization, including a call for more personal protective equipment for health care workers and acknowledgement from WHO on how the virus is spread.

Toronto — Feelings of anxiety and depression were highest among workers whose perceived personal protective equipment and infection control needs were not met during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results of a recent study out of Canada.

San Francisco — The Washington State Nurses Association is among four labor unions suing Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia and OSHA in an effort to compel the agency to move forward with rulemaking on an infectious diseases standard that would require employers in the health care industry to protect workers from exposure to harmful infectious diseases such as COVID-19, Ebola and influenza.

Chicago — The American Medical Association has made available five new open access educational modules in an effort to provide physicians with proven strategies to support their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sacramento, CA — A bill signed into law Sept. 29 by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will require certain hospitals in the state to create and maintain at least a three-month supply of personal protective equipment, and ensure nurses and other health care workers use the PPE supplied to them.

Washington — NIOSH has extended until Dec. 14 the comment period for a Request for Information on the deployment and use of elastomeric half-mask respirators in health care settings and emergency medical services organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Raleigh, NC — Health care professionals are at significantly greater risk than the general public of experiencing mental health issues such as depression and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, results of a recent study show.