‘I just held his hand and we cried together.’ Nurse on comforting dying COVID patients MORE People attend a protest for nurses demanding more PPE, coronavirus testing, and staff, as the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in West Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 30, 2020. Photo by REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Hospitalization rates for COVID-19 in California are reaching new record highs almost every day. Across Southern California, ICU capacity is essentially nonexistent, with state numbers showing the 11-county area as having no ICU beds available.
Hearing that jarring statistic is one thing, but living it is another. The pain, trauma, and rollercoaster of the pandemic has been the daily life of critical care nurse Erin McIntosh for months. As she and her colleagues tend to some of the sickest patients at Riverside Community Hospital in the Inland Empire, she says nurses around the country are being p
HCA released a statement saying the strike threatens to seriously impact the overburdened healthcare system in Southern California, which is already at bed and ICU capacities due to the nursing shortage and COVID-19 surge. As a result of the union s decision to strike at this challenging time, our hospitals must limit their full scope of services in order to ensure nurses are available to care for patients with the highest needs, the statement reads.
In previous work stoppages at RCH, nurses have taken part in rotating pickets, with some still on the job, while others gather in front of the medical center. There was a walkout over the summer.
California nurses threaten Christmas Eve strike over work conditions nbcnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nbcnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.