UM Health System, nurses union agree to Ebola contract
Source: Detroit News
Karen Bouffard,
The University of Michigan Health System and a union representing 5,000 nurses have agreed to what the union believes is the nation's first contract intended to protect nurses treating Ebola patients.
The contract language sets standards for a litany of issues, from nurses' Ebola training and personal protective gear to how medical procedures will be handled, such as drawing blood, disposal of fluid waste and suctioning.
The agreement limits to four hours the time nurses can spend in a sick patient's room wearing heavy protective equipment and ensures that they won't have to give up pay or vacation days if they're quarantined or become ill.
Nurses in Michigan and nationwide have alleged that they are inadequately prepared to care for Ebola patients, lacking both the training and proper equipment to deal with the potentially deadly disease. Two nurses at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas contracted the virus while caring for Thomas Duncan, a Liberian national who died of the disease Oct. 8. Both have recovered.
FULL story at link.
The Associated Press contributed.
Read more: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/metro-state/2014/11/11/um-health-system-nurses-union-agree-ebola-contract/18835355/
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