Jacob Ogles
As health care professionals address a global pandemic, two medical groups launched ads calling out the industry’s needs.
The Be A Hero PAC and National Nurses United released two different ads amplifying the need for more personal protective equipment. Referred to frequently as PPE, that equipment includes face masks, gowns and other goods keeping health professionals safe.
The spots feature nurses from across the country.
“Without personal protective equipment, I risk contracting COVID-19,” said Sandy Redding, operating room nurse in Bakersfield, Calif. and one of the subjects of the ads.
“This means one less health care worker on the front lines fighting this crisis. This means transmitting the disease to my family or my patients. This means that some of us will die.”
The advertisement includes Redding on a private video channel describing the situation, while footage shows hospitals so stressed they have patients being treated in hallways.
That spot also shows an image of President Donald Trump while discussing how leaders “scoffed at the warning signs.”
Another nurse said the crisis has stressed the normal needs of U.S. health care.
“Our healthcare system is not equipped to handle the COVID-19 crisis,” said Zenei Cortez, a registered nurse in south San Francisco.
“The hospital industry is not about patient care. It’s about profits. So now nurses like me take the biggest risks, and it’s going to impact you.”
Both promote the social media hashtag #ProtectNurses. The Cortez spot also takes a swipe at Trump and his statement the U.S. will soon be “open for business” again.
There’s been an ongoing struggle between state and federal officials regarding the distribution of PPE around the country.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday announced disbursement of new testing and PPE shipments throughout Florida.
The ads encourage viewers to call members of Congress and encourage them to take action and ensure more PPE ends up in the hands of health professionals around the country.
One comment
M. Elmer
April 3, 2020 at 9:17 am
I’ve seen the ad regarding PPE for health care workers, and it seems to blame President Trump for the shortages. It is the state’s responsibility to plan and prepare for just such a crisis and if it doesn’t shortages occur. The very fact that the president took action early on to halt travel to and from China and is responding to the unprepared states'(CA and NY) needs by lifting restrictions on the use of masks designed for construction workers, suspending time limits on research and testing of treatments and vaccines and other measures indicates immediate action to combat this terrible virus. I have a daughter who is a nurse practitioner and another that works as a medical technologist, both on the front lines in this battle, so I am not unaware of the challenges and risks for health care workers. It is important to recognize and place responsibility where it truly lies, not use this pandemic as another attack on the current administration.
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