Surging COVID Cases Forces State To Bypass Tough Nurse Care Rules

Walnut Creek CA

08 January, 2021

3:44 PM

Description

CBS San Francisco January 08, 2021 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Nerissa Black was already having a hard time tending to four COVID-19 patients who need constant heart monitoring. But because of staffing shortages affecting hospitals throughout California, her workload recently increased to six people infected with the coronavirus. Black, a registered nurse at the telemetry cardiac unit of the Henry Mayo Hospital in Valencia, just north of Los Angeles, barely has time to take a break or eat a meal. But what really worries her is not having enough time to spend with each of her patients. Black said she rarely has time to help patients brush their teeth or go to the bathroom because she must prioritize making sure they get the medicine they need and don't develop bedsores. Read more at CBS San Francisco