Nurses’ Unions Call for Better Ebola Support from CDC
Two of the nation’s largest nursing unions blast the CDC’s handling of U.S. Ebola cases and ask for more resources and hands-on training

10-17-2014 | Nicholas St. Fleur

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stepped out of line in claiming that “a breach in protocol” caused an American nurse treating an Ebola victim to contract the deadly virus, the two largest U.S. nurses’ unions charged Wednesday.

National Nurses United (NNU), the largest union of registered nurses in the U.S. with around 185,000 members, said that the CDC’s assertions about a violation in hospital procedures was unwarranted because current Ebola protocols are either inadequate or nonexistent in hospitals across the country. The organization held a national conference call for nurses and press on October 15 calling for hands-on training nationwide to prepare nurses to treat Ebola patients. The union asked the CDC and Pres. Barack Obama to meet its demands for better training, supplies and treatment regimens. “Not one more nurse, not one more patient should be put at risk,” said RoseAnn DeMoro, NNU executive director.