A nurse who raised concerns about the lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) at the hospital where she worked has died of coronavirus after caring for an infected patient.
Celia Yap Banago had worked at Research Medical Center (RMC) in Kansas City, Missouri, for 40 years and was due to retire this week, the National Nurses Union (NNU) said in a news release. She died of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, last Tuesday.
According to the union, she was among the registered nurses who expressed their concerns about the lack of preparedness for the pandemic at RMC.
Celia Yap Banago, RN died from #COVID19 after caring for an infected patient just days before retirement.
"Nurses know the best way to honor Celia's life is to fight to #ProtectNurses and other workers on the front lines of this crisis." @RNMarkowitz https://t.co/IE2d05hHVR — NationalNursesUnited (@NationalNurses) April 26, 2020
They said they were worried the hospital had insufficient supplies of PPE for nurses and other health care workers and said there had been delays in notifying nurses about their exposure to suspected COVID-19 patients. Nurses also claimed they were expected to continue coming in to work even after being exposed.
"Celia was an amazing nurse that dedicated her service for countless years at Research and a dear friend to all of us," said Charlene Carter, a registered nurse at RMC. "I feel that I can speak for many nurses when I say that the loss of one of our dear fallen soldiers on the front line of this pandemic is more than devastating, it is a wake-up call."
Carter told KCUR that she and Banago treated a patient last month who was later confirmed to have COVID-19 without N95 masks or any of the other PPE typically used in such cases.
She added: "Nurses have an instinctive conduct of being so selfless that I believe others don't realize. No nurse should have to sacrifice their life in exchange for conserved profits by the rationing of proper protective equipment.
"Nurses all over the country need proper protection every day so that we can continue to save patients' lives while sparing our own."
The NNU, the largest union of registered nurses in the county, held a protest outside the White House on Tuesday—the day Banago died—to "call attention to the tens of thousands of health care workers who have become infected with COVID-19" due to the lack of PPE.
The union also organzied a candlelit vigil to honour Banago at the hospital on Thursday.
"We honor the life and career of Celia who gave so much of herself for her patients," the union's executive director Bonnie Castillo said. "No nurse, no health care worker, should have to put their lives, their health, and their safety at risk for the failure of hospitals and our elected leaders to provide the protection they need to safely care for patients."
Nurses from RMC joined others who work for facilities also operated by HCA Midwest Health to protest the lack of protective gear earlier this month, the union said. HCA Midwest Health has been contacted for comment.
Vargolol on April 27th, 2020 at 13:09 UTC »
Damn, that reads like a classic character movie trope if one was ever made out of this pandemic to let others remember how serious it was.
RIP to her and I hope her family gets through the loss during this tough time.
sarahbatchelor94 on April 27th, 2020 at 12:34 UTC »
I think any businesses says you can't wear PPE should be sued. Everyone has the right to stay safe.
shakeil123 on April 27th, 2020 at 11:12 UTC »
So sad and heartbreaking.