THE EXCEPTIONS INCLUDING FOR
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE WORKING
OUTSIDE OR EXERCISING WITH
APPROPRIATE SOCIAL DISTANCING.
DADE COUNTY'S POSITIVITY
RATE FELL TO 11.6% AFTER THREE
CONSECUTIVE DAYS ARISING
PERCENTAGES OF POSITIVE TEST
RESULTS.
YESTERDAY THAT NUMBER WAS AT A
PANDEMIC HIGH OF NEARLY 27%
TONIGHT WE CONTINUE TO HEAR
FROM MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
SOUNDING THE ALARM.
THE LAST THING YOU WANT TO
SEE IS FLATTENING THE CURVE AND
GO IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
DR. WENT ON TO SAY THE RISING
NUMBER OF CASES RUNS THE RISK
OF HOSPITALS REACHING CAPACITY
TO TRACK SHE SAID IT AFFECTS
HEALTHCARE WORKERS AND HOSPITAL
STAFF YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF
COVID-19 PATIENT THE SENTIMENT
ECHOED BY MOTHER BAKER THE HEAD
OF THE UNION THAT REPRESENTS
MORE THAN 5000 JACKSON HEALTH
EMPLOYEES.
SHE SPOKE WITH CBS TODAY.
WE ARE TIRED, THEN HE TIME
OFF.
THEY NEED MORE NURSES.
AND NOW WE HAVE MORE THAN EVER.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE
STAFFING LEVEL.
HOW MANY NURSES WOULD YOU
TYPICALLY HAVE?
FOR AN ICU IT IS THE TYPICAL
1212 RATIO ONE PATIENT
EXTREMELY SICK, WHICH THE MSU
HAS EIGHT COVARIATES IN ONE OF
THEIR UNITS AND FOR THEM OUR
ONE-ON-ONE.
SOMETIMES THAT GET STRETCHED
AND YOU HAVE TO TAKE TWO
PATIENTS.
THAT IS UNFORTUNATE BUT THAT'S
WHAT PATIENTS DON'T GET TURNED,
SOME PATIENTS DON'T GET THE
CARE THEY DESERVE.
THAT'S WHEN THE NURSE DOESN'T
GET TO GO TO LUNCH.
THAT IS TIGHT.
THAT IS HARD TIMES RIGHT THERE
AND HOPE THAT DOESN'T FALL ONCE
IN A WHILE, BUT YOU KNOW IT HAS
HAPPENED ALL TOO FREQUENTLY.
WE JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH
OUR CHIEF NURSE AND I THINK
SHE'S GOING TO TRY TO FIX IT,
NURSES ARE EMPTYING TRASH CANS.
HOUSEKEEPING DOESN'T WANT TO
COME INTO THE ROOM.
NURSES ARE DOING UNBELIEVABLE
THINGS.
CHARGE NURSES ARE TAKING
PATIENTS AND THEIR LIST IS TO
BE FREE SO THEY CAN HELP YOU.
IT IS TIGHT.
YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE SHARING
THE STORY YOU WISHON WITH ME
WHILE ONE OF THE NURSES AND
EDITOR THEY RELATE TO JUST
RECENTLY?
WHICH ONE WAS THAT?
THE NURSE TAKING TO
PATIENTS. THERE WAS ONE ICU
NURSE THAT SHE SHARED A STORY
WITH THE CHIEF NURSE, I BELIEVE
THESE TWO PATIENT SOUNDED LIKE
THEY WERE SO SICK THEY WERE
MOSTLY WE GOT NOT GOING TO MAKE
IT BUT THEY WERE EXTREME COVID-
19 PATIENTS WHAT YOU CALL
BURNING WHERE THEY TURN THEM ON
THEIR BELLIES SO THEIR LUNGS
WHEN A BETTER PARENT BREATHING
MACHINES, NASAL TRIPS, AND ALL
THESE VERY VERY VERY LABOR
INTENSIVE MANEUVERS TO TRY AND
SAVE THEIR LIVES.
THE STATIONS ENDED UP DYING ON
THE SAME SHIFT.
THIS NURSE COULD BE WITH BOTH
PATIENTS.
HELP FIX DAYS OF PATIENTS WERE
PERHAPS DEATH WAS IMMINENT BUT
IT IS A HORRIBLE TOOL TO KNOW
THAT THEY SHOULD'VE BEEN
SINGLED AND THEY WERE DOUBLE.
ONE-ON-ONE NURSING YOU SAID ONE
NURSE FOR TWO PATIENTS.
AND YOU SHOULD HAVE A CHARGE
NURSE FREE AT ALL TIMES.
AND TO HELP WITH NONEMERGENCY
SITUATIONS AND TOO OFTEN THE
CHARGE NURSES ARE TAKING
PATIENTS.
THAT IS 50% OF THE CHARGE
NURSES TODAY HAVE PATIENCE AND
WEIRD 85% CAPACITY.
MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS NOT
NECESSARILY TODAY WE ARE TIGHT
TODAY, WE HAVE 50% OF OUR UNIT
SO TIGHT STAFFED THE CHARGE
NURSE AS PATIENTS.
AND STILL WE DO, WE THINK
TOMORROW WILL BE WORSE.
WE THINK NEXT WEEK WILL BE
WORSE, THIS TREND IN PATIENTS
IS, IN COVID-19 IN VOLUMES IS
JUST GOING UP.
IT IS OF GREAT CONCERN AND I
THINK WE HAVE TO MANAGER.
I DON'T RECOMMEND TO SHUT IT
DOWN AND CANCEL LECTINS BUT WE
DO HAVE TO MANAGE IT AND BE
VERY AWARE OF OUR NURSING
CAPACITY, AND A HOSPITAL
CAPACITY THAT IT IS NOT JUST
HAVE AN OPEN BED WE WILL HAVE A
PATIENT WE HAVE TO MANAGER WITH
OUR STAFFING.
ESPECIALLY RECOGNITION THAT OUR
NURSES ARE GOING INTO SECOND
BATTLE, AND WE ARE LIMPING.
THAT IS NOT SOMETHING FOR YOU
THAT IS EASY TO ADMIT.
I KNOW I'VE KNOWN YOU FOR LONG
TIME, AND YOUR NURSES TEND TO
SOLDIER THROUGH ALMOST ANYTHING
THAT FOR YOU TO ADMIT THEY ARE
NOW HURTING OTHER LIMPING
THROUGH THIS, THAT'S A BIG
STATEMENT COMING FROM YOU.
I WAS QUITE SHOCKED AT OUR
MEETING WITH MANY STAFF MEMBERS
YESTERDAY WHAT I HEARD.
I'M NOT TRYING TO BASH JACKSON
I LOVE IT, PROUD TO BE
PRESIDENT OF THESE NURSES AND
DOCTORS AND HOPE PROFESSIONALS
WORK SO HARD I THINK THEY'RE
THE BEST NOT ONLY IN FLORIDA
BUT IN THE COUNTRY.
BUT IT IS, WE CANNOT HAVE
ELECTED LEADERS SAYING IT IS
OKAY TO OPEN UP AND PUT THE
HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS
AT STAKE AND WE HAVE ALWAYS
SAID FROM THE INSIDE OF JACKSON,
IF WE EVER SEE IT LOOKS
DANGEROUS, WE WILL SPEAK UP.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE ARE DOING
NOW. I KNOW WE HAVE AN
OVERFLOW AT THE FACILITY AT THE
CONVENTION CENTER BUT THESE ARE
SOME VERY SCARY WORDS AND VERY
CONCERNING.
Reporter: THEY ARE AND IT IS
A DIFFERENT ASPECT THEY HAVE
BEEN HEARING ABOUT THAT WE'VE
BEEN HEARING FROM THE COUNTY
AND THE GOVERNOR TALKING ABOUT
STATISTICAL INFORMATION LIKE
HOW MANY ICU BEDS YOU HAVE
FREE, OR HOW MANY HOSPITAL BEDS
YOU HAVE FREE, AND THEY THINK
THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE FREE
HOSPITAL IN ICU BEDS ACROSS THE
COUNTY WE ARE NOT IN A
DANGEROUS AREA.
BUT THE POINT THAT MARTHA IS
MAKING IS SO IMPORTANT JUST
BECAUSE YOU MAY HAVE AN OPEN
BED IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE NURSE
TO BE ABLE TO HELP THE PATIENT
IN THAT BED, THAT THAT IS
USELESS.
AND RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE A
SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE NURSES
WHO ARE OVERTAXED,
OVERBURDENED, LORI HEARD THE
STORIES OF HOW NURSES WILL WHO
SHOULD BE ONE-ON-ONE WITH
PATIENTS ARE NOW HAVING TO DEAL
TWO PATIENTS AT A TIME THIS IS
A VERY DIRE SITUATION THAT
THERE WAS A SHORTAGE OF NURSES,
THERE IS A REAL DILEMMA THAT'S
FACING THE COUNTY AND AS THINGS
GET WORSE, AND AS WE CONTINUE
TO DO ELECTIVE SURGERIES, AS WE
CONTINUE TO ALLOW PEOPLE COMING
INTO THE HOSPITALS WE DO NOT
NEED CRITICAL CARE BUT YET THE
HOSPITALS WANT TO MAKE THE
FINANCIAL COMMITMENT OF GETTING
MONEY FROM THOSE PATIENTS, THIS
BECOMES A PROBLEM BECAUSE IT
TAKES MORE NURSES AWAY FROM
THOSE WHO TRULY NEEDED.
WE HEARD MARTHA SAID THESE
NURSES ARE LIMPING AT THIS
POINT BECAUSE THEY ARE SO
OVERWORKED BUT WHAT ABOUT THEIR
HEALTH ANY OFFER OF ANY INSIGHT
INTO INFECTIONS?
BACK MARTHA SHARED WITH ME
SOMETHING THAT I WAS JUST
FLOORED BY.
SHE SAID THIS IS A SURVEY JUST
A FEW OF THE UNITS AT THE
HOSPITAL INCLUDING THEY HAVE A
NURSING HOME AREA SHE SAID IN
THE LAST 5 TO 6 DAYS SHE IS
AWARE OF 21 NURSES AND
HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN THREE
SEPARATE UNITS TESTED POSITIVE
FOR COVID-19 AND THAT IS 21
NURSES AND HEALTHCARE
PROFESSIONALS ARE NOW SIDELINED
THE OTHER PROBLEM SHE POINTS
OUT IS THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO TO
THE TESTING FAST ENOUGH THAT
THEY HAVE TWO TYPES OF TESTED
HAVE TO DO THE THE QUICK TEST
THAT YOU CAN GET A RESULT
WITHIN AN HOUR, BUT THEY HAVE
OTHER TEST WHICH TAKE ANYWHERE
FROM 12 THROUGH 24 HOURS OR
EVEN LONGER TO GET AND THOSE