National Nurses United joins with labor and community activists across Chicago to condemn the Trump Administration decision to dispatch militarized federal troops to Chicago, instead of the critical support Chicago, like other American cities, needs in the face of an exploding pandemic and worsening economic crisis.

With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to surge and a worsening economic crisis, the registered nurses of National Nurses United today condemned President Trump’s threat to dispatch federal troops to more major U.S. cities to arrest and assault protesters.

To protect patient safety standards and demand safe staffing for nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, perioperative nurses at UC Davis Medical Center (UCDMC), along with fellow UC Davis nurses, will hold a rally and action on Thursday, July 23.

Registered nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC) will hold a press conference Thursday, July 23 to demand that optimal PPE be provided to the RNs and that the hospital abandons the Battelle so-called “decontamination” process for N95 respirators which leads to the use of unsanitary and soiled masks. The hospital is also not meeting the testing needs of its staff and has other infection control deficiencies, said nurses.

Registered nurses at HCA’s Fawcett Memorial who have been grappling with dangerous levels of inadequate staffing while the coronavirus pandemic rocks Florida and their hospital, will hold a public action Thursday to alert the public and demand the hospital act to protect patients.

On Tuesday, July 21, registered nurses will hold a vigil at Sutter Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, to remember their colleague Janine Paiste-Ponder, RN, who recently died of COVID-19, the California Nurses Association (CNA) announced today. Paiste-Ponder had been a member of CNA for more than 25 years.

Registered Nurses from HCA and Kaiser Permanente hospitals in San Jose will address the virtual Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday morning to voice their alarm over failure by their hospital administrations to prioritize COVID-19 testing for frontline caregivers exposed to the virus that they warn is exacerbating the pandemic crisis.

Registered nurses at Chinese Hospital will assemble and be available to media at Portsmouth Square in San Francisco to highlight the connection between racism and public health.