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Nurses Union Demands Better Ebola Training

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Bay News 9
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Nurses from National Nurses United gathered in Tampa's Ybor City on Wednesday to stage a "die-in."

It was a dramatic way to get the public's attention with the hope that hospitals would get the message that the time to prepare to fight Ebola is now.

Pasco County ICU nurse Louise Easty said she thinks some hospitals are making efforts to get up to speed, to where they need to be. 

"And other hospitals are giving the impression that 'Oh, we've got it all taken care of.'  In reality, I think hospitals nationwide have been caught off-guard with this, because they thought it was never going to come to the United States," Easty said.

 The nurses called for better training, on treating Ebola patients and protecting themselves, not just "videos and memos directing them to the CDC website." 

Florida does not have any confirmed cases of the viruses, which is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, and not through the air.

As the Associated Press reports, Florida health officials want to spend $7 million to prepare for a possible outbreak.