Union alleges Virtua gave hospital nurses bad masks
Taken from The Burlington County Times
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Virtua Executive Vice President and COO John Matsinger responded that the complaint was “not true” and that the masks in-question were federally approved and part of a batch of 50,000 supplied by the state from the federal government’s strategic stockpile.
MOUNT HOLLY — A nurses union has filed a safety complaint against Virtua Health, alleging that the South Jersey health care giant distributed knockoff protective respirator masks to nurses caring for coronavirus patients at Virtua Memorial hospital.
Leaders of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union claim Virtua distributed imported KN95 masks to nurses at the Mount Holly hospital to wear as protection when treating COVID-19 patients, but that the masks were believed to be substandard and potentially counterfeit. They say Virtua officials were informed of the situation but that the masks were still circulated among staff, who were not notified that the respirators were potentially substandard.
“To think they were working around COVID-19 patients without adequate protection is a scary thought,” union President Debbie White said Wednesday in an interview.
The union represents about 850 nurses and health care workers at Memorial.
Virtua Executive Vice President and COO John Matsinger responded that the complaint was “not true” and that the masks in-question were federally approved and part of a batch of 50,000 supplied by the state from the federal government’s strategic stockpile.
“We can say, unequivocally, that this complaint is not true,” Matsinger said Wednesday afternoon.
“We have taken every step necessary to ensure that our health care workers, particularly those engaged in direct patient care in high-risk areas and procedures, have the equipment, supplies and support needed to address this unprecedented public health emergency. The KN95s we are using were received from the State, who acquired them from the federal stockpile.”
The Governor’s Office could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday night.
The union said a complaint was filed Monday afternoon with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and that OSHA officials met with Virtua leadership on Wednesday.