OAKLAND - Registered nurses from California to Maine will hold strikes, picketing, and other actions Wednesday, November 12 in 16 U.S. states and the District of Columbia – with possible support actions globally – as National Nurses United, the largest U.S. organization of nurses steps up the demand for tougher Ebola safety precautions in the nation’s hospitals.
 
One centerpiece of the actions will be a two-day strike by 18,000 RNs and nurse practitioners at 86 Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics who have been protesting the erosion of patient care standards in Kaiser facilities for months, and see Kaiser’s failure to adopt the optimal safeguards for Ebola as symbolic of its overall dismissal of nurses’ concerns about patient care.
 
Strikes will also affect 400 RNs at Providence Hospital in Washington D.C. on Wednesday and some 600 RNs Tuesday and Wednesday at two other Northern California hospitals, Sutter Tracy and Watsonville General Hospital.
 
Among other prominent national actions will be a vigil outside the White House Wednesday, rallies at state capitols in Michigan and Minnesota, several actions in Chicago, and a rally at the federal building in New York City.
 
“Nurses, who have been willing to stand by the patients whether it's the flu, whether it's Ebola, whether it's cancer, are now being asked to put themselves in harm's way unprotected, unguarded," said NNU Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro, in a press conference announcing the actions.
 
What NNU is demanding is the optimal personal protective equipment for nurses and other caregivers who interact with Ebola patients. That means full-body hazmat suits that meet the American Society for Testing and Materials F1670 standard for blood penetration, F1671 standard for viral penetration, and that leave no skin exposed or unprotected, and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-approved powered air purifying respirators with an assigned protection factor of at least 50.
 
Second, that all facilities provide continuous, rigorous interactive training for RNs and other health workers who might encounter an Ebola patient, that includes practice putting on and taking off the hazmat suits where some of the greatest risk of infection can occur.
 
NNU has also repeatedly called on the White House and Congress to mandate all hospitals to meet these standards. “We know from years of experience that these hospitals will meet the cheapest standards, not the most effective precautions. And now we are done talking and ready to act,” DeMoro said.
 
California
 
RN Strikes – 86 Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics in Antioch, Fremont, Fresno, Oakland, Redwood City, Richmond, Roseville, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, San Leandro, San Rafael, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, South Sacramento, South San Francisco, Stockton, Vacaville, Vallejo, Walnut Creek. Sutter Tracy hospital, Tracy, Ca., and Watsonville Community Hospital, Watsonville, Ca.
 
RN Pickets – Dignity Health hospitals in Bakersfield, Glendale, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz. University of California medical centers in Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. Sutter hospitals in Oakland, San Francisco. Long Beach Memorial in Long Beach. St. Joseph Hospital in Orange. St. John’s in Santa Monica.
 
Oakland – Rally, 12 noon, Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building, 1301 Clay St.
 
District of Columbia
 
Vigil/Press Conference, 2 p.m., outside White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, D.C. 20500. Contact is Michael Lighty 510-772-8384
 
RN Strike – Providence Hospital, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 12 noon rally, 1150 Varnum St. NE Washington, D.C. 20017. Contact is Korey Hartwich 301-312-2343
 
Florida
 
Ft Lauderdale – Rally, 10 a.m., Florida Medical Center, 5000 W Oakland Park
Blvd Fort Lauderdale, FL 33313. Contact is Chris Rook 702-280-8637
 
Lake City – Rally, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Lake City VA Medical Center,
619 S. Marian Ave. Lake City, FL 32025. Contact is Susan Sandoval
915-449-2326
 
Georgia
 
Augusta – Rally, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, 950 15th Street Augusta, GA 30901. Contact is Irma Westmorland 706-421-6690
 
Illinois
 
Chicago
Picket, 11 a.m-1 p.m., John H. Stroger Hospital, 1969 W. Ogden Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60612. Contact is John Tillar 312-219-0194
 
Candlelight Vigil, 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., University of Chicago Medical Center, Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine (DCAM), 5758 S. Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637. Contact is Cindy Loudin 773-791-0189
 
Picket, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Edward Hines, Jr. VA, 5000 S 5th Ave, Hines, IL 60141. Contact is Abass Wane 312-513-1311
 
Maine
 
Bar Harbor – Vigil, 5:30 p.m., Corner of Main and Wayman Streets, Bar Harbor 04609. Contact is Vanessa Sylvester 207-441-6762
 
Massachusetts
 
Boston – Leafleting, 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., South Station. Contact is David Childmeier 781-249-0430
 
Worcester – Leafleting, 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Union Station. Contact is David Childmeier 781-249-0430
 
Michigan
 
Lansing– Rally, 11:30 a.m., Governor’s Office, Romney Office Building, 111 South Capitol Ave. Lansing, MI 48933. Contact is Ann Sincox 517-256-2312
 
Minnesota
 
St. Paul – Candlelight Vigil, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., State Capitol. Contact is Rick Fuentes 612-741-0662
 
Missouri
 
St. Louis – Candlelight Vigil, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Saint Louis University, corner of Vista Ave. and South Grand Blvd. at Saint Louis University. Contact is Marti Smith 312-607-8619
 
Kansas City – Rally, 4:30 p.m., Kansas City Occupational Safety and Health Administration office, 2300 Main St. Kansas City, MO 64108. Contact is Julie Perry 816-665-4746
 
Nevada  
 
Las Vegas – Rally, 11 a.m., Nevada office of Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 1301 N. Green Valley Pkwy, Suite 200, 11 a.m. Contact is Jeff Welsh 702-334-2997
 
New York
 
New York City – Rally, 5:15 p.m., Federal Building, 40 Foley Square New York, NY 10007. Contact is Jonathon Weitz 646-460-7734
 
North Carolina
 
Durham – Rally, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Durham VA Medical Center, 508 Fulton Street Durham, NC  27705. Contact is Dewey Parker 502-333-2458
 
Ohio
 
Massillon – Rally, 11:30 a.m., Lincoln Way E at First Street SE Masillon, OH 44646. Contact is Michelle Mahon 234-207-6706
 
Tennessee
Memphis – Rally, Student Union, 1000 South Cooper St. Memphis, TN 38104.
 
Texas
 
El Paso – Rally, 4 p.m., outside office of U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, Federal Building, 303 N. Oregon st El Paso, TX. Contact is Beth Peas 915-245-1249
 
Houston – Rally, 10 a.m., Federal Building, Discovery Park, 1500 McKinney St. Contact is Paula Littles 512-971-4901
 
 For more information visit: http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/pages/4604/