© 2024 KMUW
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

When Health Care Workers Are Afraid To Speak Out During A Global Pandemic

A nurse participates in a rally to support the National Nurses United and California Nurses Association's demand for personal protective equipment for healthcare workers across the state at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica.
A nurse participates in a rally to support the National Nurses United and California Nurses Association's demand for personal protective equipment for healthcare workers across the state at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica.

Health care workers are at the frontlines of the COVID-19 outbreak. They put their lives at risk to take care of patients.  

But many hospitals are struggling to keep workers safe due to a persistent shortage of personal protective equipment.   

And some health care workers fear losing their jobs if they speak up about these shortages. Some have even gotten fired for publicly voicing concerns about safety conditions. 

The American Nurses Association said reports of workplace retaliation distressed them. They encouraged workers to file a whistleblower complaint if they face retribution for speaking up about safety.

How can we make sure the concerns of healthcare workers are effectively addressed during the COVID-19 pandemic? And what steps can hospital workers take if they face workplace retaliation?

 

Copyright 2020 WAMU 88.5

Kaity Kline
Kaity Kline is an Assistant Producer at Morning Edition and Up First. She started at NPR in 2019 as a Here & Now intern and has worked at nearly every NPR news magazine show since.