**Media Advisory for April 10** - Wyckoff Heights Medical Center demands more nurses, more tests to battle COVID-19 Crisis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 9, 2020
Contact: Corey Finger | corey.finger@nysna.org | 347.712.2809
Kristi Barnes | kristi.barnes@nysna.org | 646.853.4489
Overwhelmed by COVID patients, nurses and hospital administration call for resources to save lives
Brooklyn, NY - Nurses and administrators at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Bushwick, Brooklyn will hold an urgent community speak out and press event in front of the hospital tomorrow. Wyckoff nurses and managers are united in demanding more resources to slow the spread of COVID-19. They are calling for more nurses, more COVID-19 tests for frontline healthcare workers, and more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Wyckoff is situated near the Queens border, in a working class community of color that has been hit hard by the Coronavirus. As a small safety net hospital, Wyckoff lacks the resources to compete with larger hospital systems for travel nurses or supplies, which have largely gone to the highest bidder.
The NYC Department of Health has limited access to COVID-19 testing to those frontline healthcare workers who exhibit severe symptoms, leaving many nurses fearful that they are spreading the virus to their colleagues, patients, and families.
Healthcare workers are on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19 and need the resources to treat patients, slow the spread of the virus, and protect themselves. Nurses are calling on Governor Cuomo to commandeer PPE and prioritize distributing it to struggling hospitals in the hardest-hit areas of the state. They are also calling on the Trump administration to unleash the Defense Production Act (DPA) to increase production of PPE, so healthcare workers can safely care for the communities they serve.
WHO: NYSNA nurses and CEO Ramon Rodriguez
WHAT: Wyckoff Heights Medical Center Speak Out
WHEN: TOMORROW, Friday April 10 at 9:00 AM
WHERE: 374 Stockholm St, Brooklyn, NY 11237, In front of the hospital
VISUALS: As nurses, we will be safe and practice social distancing during this event. All healthcare workers are invited, but not those over 60 with underlying health conditions, or who are pregnant. There will be creative signs, chants and participatory action.
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The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) represents more than 42,000 members in New York State. We are New York’s largest union and professional association for registered nurses. For more information, visit nysna.org.