The North Dakota Nurses Union is rejecting a policy that would allow COVID-19-positive nurses to continue treatment in the coronavirus units of hospitals and nursing homes to treat patients if they are not immunocompromised.
The North Dakota Nurses Association said in a statement issued Wednesday that the policy does not address the root causes of the problem and called for a statewide mask mandate and other public health measures to be implemented first.
The union said the NDNA recommends that all other public health measures be implemented before implementing this special strategy to reduce demand on the health care system and address other staff shortages.
A new policy was introduced on Monday as a way to ease the pressure on hospitals with short staff and close to capacity as COVD-19 cases are rampant across the state. The new policy was announced by Bergum (R).
North Dakota is currently the most affected state in the country in terms of coronavirus out of 100,000 inhabitants, and one of 15 states without a mask order.
The health department recommended that people try to slow the spread of coronavirus by taking steps such as body spacing and wearing masks in public places, but did not make them mandatory.
Data from the North Dakota Department of Health said there were less than 10 percent of staff hospital beds available there on Thursday.
The union said it recognizes that the move is in line with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “crisis” guidelines, but that the decision on whether a nurse who tests positive for NIVS-19 can return to work should rest with the nurses. And not their owners.
“If a nurse believes they are not fit enough to provide safe patient care and chooses not to work in these circumstances, employers should not retaliate against the nurse for making this decision,” the union said.
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