Nurses are always on the frontlines and have been right from the start. But our hospitals are not as prepared or supplied as they should be to face this global pandemic. Here's what we're doing about it.
Official White House Photo
On March 18, a member of our board of directors, Theresa M. Davis, PhD, RN, NE-BC, CHTP, FAAN, represented the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses at the White House to brief President Trump, Vice President Pence and the Coronavirus Task Force on the state of COVID-19 care.
Joined by leaders from other nursing organizations, Dr. Davis addressed the president and:
- Laid out the crucial role of critical care nurses amid this pandemic
- Praised the courage of nurses and other healthcare workers
- Stated, "We need the supplies and equipment necessary to protect our patients, ourselves, our communities ... and to save patients' lives." concerns about preparedness
- Emphasized the urgent need for masks, PPE, ventilators, medicine and other vital life-saving equipment
After the meeting, President Trump signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act, expediting the production of critical medical supplies for our nurses. In addition, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he will make available up to 5 million N95 masks and other PPE stock from strategic reserves, with the first 1 million masks ready immediately. The Pentagon is also ready to distribute up to 2,000 ventilators.