On many days of the year, the hospital’s NEDOCS score - National Emergency Department Overcrowding Scale - is at “orange” or “red,” signifying a dangerous number of patients in proportion to staff, beds, and other resources. Since well before the coronavirus outbreak, Highland, the public hospital serving Oakland and much of Alameda County, was underfunded and overcrowded, as poignantly captured in the 2012 documentary film The Waiting Room. On Sunday, the Alameda Labor Council, which represents dozens of major unions, sent a letter to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors describing the Alameda Health System as “an organization that is mismanaged, unaccountable, and resistant to work with Labor Unions,” and asking the county to take over AHS’s hospitals and directly operate them. An Alameda County Sheriff squad car and emergency room staff were also in evidence on the morning of March 26. “Patients already were not getting the care they needed, and now, on top of that, you add this stressor of a pandemic,” said Pearson, a union chapter president of SEIU 1021 who tweets under the handle A testing tent has been set up outside the entrance to the Highland Hospital ER. He also accused administrators with the Alameda Health System, the independent public health authority that operates the county’s five public hospitals, of “mismanaging and underfunding” Highland. Gavin Newsom for shipments of personal protective equipment, like surgical masks and gowns, face shields, and coveralls. John Pearson, a nurse in Highland’s emergency department, has been using his personal Twitter account to plead directly with Gov. Other Highland medical personnel say they haven’t been provided refreshers on how to wear personal protective equipment like face masks and goggles, or training on how to use new equipment, including air-purifying respirators.Īhead of an expected surge of coronavirus patients in the coming days and weeks, some staffers at Oakland’s Highland Hospital are sounding the alarm about what they say is a serious shortage of equipment and training. “A lot of my coworkers are feeling on high alert and not knowing the processes and procedures,” he said. Later this year, we’re launching a standalone Oakland newsroom as well sign up for our Oakland newsletter for updates. Our Berkeley and Oakland reporting teams are working together to cover the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the inner East Bay. Boutte said Highland hasn’t provided COVID-19-specific training for his crews, despite the fact that they’re already cleaning rooms where suspected coronavirus patients are treated. He cleans rooms where patients with infectious diseases are cared for, a crucial service that helps keep staff and other patients from falling ill. Photo: Pete Rososĭerrick Boutte has worked housekeeping at Highland Hospital for 20 years. Emergency room staff wearing protective gear stand at the entrance to Highland Hospital on March 26, waiting to test for the coronavirus before admitting any patients.
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