Even though they shouldn't have to be. A NOTE FROM THE CEO Cindy Zolnierek, PhD, RN, CAE Chief Executive Officer of TNA
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION designated 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife to highlight the critical role of nurses in improving health, achieving gender equality, and supporting economic growth, with particular emphasis on the role nurses play in guiding policy. Little did we know that as we ushered in the Year of the Nurse, the COVID-19 pandemic would appear and change everything. As the largest group of health care professionals, present wherever health care is provided, nurses have an essential role in crisis response—every person requiring care for COVID-19 will encounter a nurse. Yet nurses are often overlooked, and are asked every day to perform at a high level, even as practices, rules, and regulations change. From license renewals to mandatory overtime to personal protective equipment (PPE) practices, nurses were expected to keep up with countless changes while also learning about the clinical pathology and treatment for a novel disease. Nurses are well versed in infection prevention and control practices, yet, during the COVID-19 crisis, these well-established practices changed. In response to shortages of PPE, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued recommendations to preserve and extend the use of supplies, such as
As this crisis continues, we want Texas nurses to know that we hear you. reusing and decontaminating masks. Nurses were alarmed. Is this practice safe? Am I safe? Will I acquire the virus? Will I transmit it to my patients? My family? Across the nation, nurses felt they weren’t valued. And they felt they were being asked to risk their lives just to do their job. We listened, and we took your fears and concerns to heart. While working within CDC recommendations, TNA executed several advocacy efforts:
Collaborating with ANA’s Call to Action requesting action to obtain and distribute PPE supplies
Creating an Action Alert for Texas nurses to contact state legislators and urge their action in gaining PPE for Texas
Participating with partner associations, regulatory agencies, state agencies, and the governor’s office to advocate for nurses
Providing webinars, Q&A sessions and web resources to inform nurses about their legal rights and advocacy protections in our current environment
As this crisis continues, we want Texas nurses to know that we hear you. We
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read every comment online. We respond to every phone call we can. We track and organize emails and survey responses. We listen to every nurse who shares their experience, from direct care providers to nurse leaders to educators. From PPE to furloughs to ethical concerns to workplace safety—we are listening and responding as quickly as we can. Meanwhile, on the frontlines, nursing innovation is at its best. When PPE was in short supply, nurses extended tubing length to enable IV pump placement outside patient rooms to reduce exposure. When clinics needed to a remote way to continue patient monitoring, nurses implemented telehealth technology. When constant use of PPE lead to indents on noses and bruising on ears, nurses developed accessories to make masks more comfortable. And to protect themselves and their patients, nurses have worked with biomedical labs to produce PPE using 3D printing, air conditioning filters, and other available materials. Nurses will get the job done. And TNA is working to ensure you have the support, resources, and protections to do just that. i
