Napa, CA – Registered nurses at Queen of the Valley Medical Center, part of the St. Joseph Health system, will join other Providence-St. Joseph Health (PSJH) system nurses from across California at 8:00 a.m., April 17^th to demand proper and equal personal protective equipment (PPE) for nurses assigned to suspected and/or confirmed COVID-19 patients, announced California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, the nation’s largest and fastest-growing nurses’ union representing 150,000 registered nurses across the country. Despite the universal nature of COVID-19, nurses at PSJH hospitals across the state are asked to care for COVID-19 patients with varying levels of PPE, from simple surgical masks to full CAPR respirators. Even within single hospitals, nurses on different units and different shifts are provided different levels of PPE protection.

“All nurses are asking for is equality and consistency of PPE protection,” said Leigh Glasgow, RN, an ICU nurse at Queen of the Valley Medical Center. “COVID-19 is a global health crisis and Providence should be providing every nurse who cares for a suspected or confirmed COVID patient with the same high level of PPE protection on all units and shifts.”

WHO: Registered nurses and members of California Nurses Association/National Nurses United

WHAT: Action to speak out for equal and proper PPE for frontline health care workers 

WHERE: Queen of the Valley Medical Center: 1000 Trancas Street, Napa, CA, 94558

WHEN: Friday, April 17^th at 8:00 a.m.