National Nurses United today welcomed the appointment of a White House Ebola czar, but said the move still falls short of what is needed if the Obama administration does not exercise its authority to require all hospitals to comply with the highest uniform, national safety standards with real penalties, including loss of Medicare funds, for those who fail to take those steps.

ational Nurses United today praised Briana Aguirre, a registered nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas for speaking out about serious lapses in safety protocols at the hospital following the arrival of the late Thomas Eric Duncan with the Ebola virus.

As News Breaks that Second Health Worker in Dallas Tests Positive for Ebola, 11,500 RNs Join National Conference Call for Nurses on Preparedness. With concern escalating across the U.S. about the threat of a wider Ebola outbreak, National Nurses United today called on President Barack Obama to “invoke his executive authority” to order all U.S. hospitals to meet the highest “uniform, national standards and protocols” in order to “safely protect patients, all healthcare workers and the public.”

RNs Call for Highest Standards for Protective Gear, including Hazmat Suits, Hands-On Training After First Nurse Infected by Ebola in Dallas. 23,200 RNs Across U.S. Say Hospitals Still Lagging on Preparedness.

Following news Sunday that the first U.S. nurse has now tested positive for the deadly Ebola virus, National Nurses United called for all hospitals to have in place the highest standard of optimal protections, including Hazmat suits, and hands-on training to protect all RNs, other hospital personnel to confront Ebola.