ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Nurses on the west coast of Newfoundland are not impressed with a recommendation from their health authority that they possibly babysit each other’s kids on their days off, the nurses' union leader says.
The premier says the government is working on a fix for front-line workers.
“Can you and your co-worker/friend assist each other with child care?” a Western Health memo to all staff asked Tuesday. “Do you know of child care vacancies in your community? Western Health’s buy/sell page can be used as a way to connect. Let your co-workers know of options or resources available.”
Debbie Forward, head of the Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland and Labrador (RNUNL), says the memo is basically telling nurses they’re on their own.
“It’s inconceivable that that was part of Western Health’s plan,” she told The Telegram Wednesday.
“We need a provincial strategy about how we’re going to provide child care for health-care workers,” she said. “They can’t be told, well, find someone else. Ask your grandmother or your parent who might be elderly. They can’t be told, look after each other’s children on their days off.”
Forward said nurses are under extra strain, since they’re essential workers.
“They see what happens in the rest of the world,” she said. “They’re worried for their children and their parents and their grandparents and the spread of the disease.”
In a media briefing later in the day, Premier Dwight Ball said the government is working on a daycare solution for essential workers, including health-care workers.
But he said they are constrained by new rules about social distancing and large gatherings.
“We fully expect that the employees will be treated fairly in this situation,” he said.
Protection concerns
Meanwhile, the NLNU and three other unions representing health-care workers issued a statement Wednesday morning asking for better consultation on protection for front-line health-care workers.
“In this pandemic, protection of our most valuable resource — the human resource — is of paramount importance,” the joint release stated. “With conflicting scientific evidence of how COVID-19 is transmitted, the precautionary principle — to err on the side of caution — must be followed.”
"We need a provincial strategy about how we’re going to provide child care for health-care workers." — Debbie Forward
Forward said some nurses dealing with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 are being told they can wear less-protective surgical masks around such patients unless administering treatments.
“During SARS, the same direction was given to front-line staff and we had numerous front-line health-care workers (in Canada) develop SARS and two people died of SARS,” she said.
The first severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak occurred in 2003. The current virus that causes COVID-19 is called SARS-CoV-2, although data so far indicates it has a lower mortality rate.
“We should err on the side of caution,” Forward said. “We should use a precautionary principle which is maximum protection when a health-care worker comes in contact with a suspected case or a diagnosed case.”
Health Minister John Haggie told reporters Wednesday afternoon the province has orders in for more personal protective equipment (PPE), and also has access to the national emergency strategic stockpile.
Haggie confirmed officials had a teleconference with union leaders Wednesday regarding their concerns, and those consultations will continue.
The three other unions involved are the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Association of Allied Health Professionals (AAHP).
Peter Jackson is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter covering health care for The Telegram.