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Survey: Health Care Facilities Not Ready for Flu Pandemic |
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Many of our nation’s health care facilities are not prepared to protect health care workers from exposures to pandemic influenza, putting both care providers and the public at risk, according to a new report compiled by the AFL-CIO and six unions.
A survey of some 104 health care facilities nationwide indicate that although these facilities have made some progress in preparing for a possible flu pandemic, more than a third of the clinics surveyed have no written plan in place. Further, more than one-third of the survey respondents believe their workplace either is not ready or only slightly ready to address the health and safety needs necessary to protect health care workers during a pandemic.
The lack of preparedness not only could endanger health care workers on the front lines of responding to the pandemic, it could severely affect the health of the rest of the nation. Indeed, 43 percent, more than two out of every five of the respondents, said that given this lack of readiness, most or some of their co-workers would stay home in the event of a pandemic outbreak. Click here for a copy of the report, “Healthcare Workers in Peril: Preparing to Protect Worker Health and Safety During Pandemic Influenza.”
The report also lists several recommendations to address the problems uncovered by the survey:
- The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) should issue a mandatory standard requiring health care facilities to protect all health care workers from exposure to pandemic flu.
- Congress should ensure that health care workers not currently covered by OSHA are covered by the mandatory standard.
The survey and report were jointly produced by the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, AFT, Communications Workers of America (CWA), SEIU, United American Nurses (UAN) and the United Food and Commercial Workers.
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It should be no surprise that “Health Care Facilities Not Ready for Flu Pandemic”! Where is the financial profit in preparing for a flu pandemic??
The for-profit privatized health care system will do nothing unless it generates a profit! For the capitalist investors in the so-called “health care” industry, this is the only reason for their investment: to maximize their profit and return on investment. Capitalists invested in the health care industry are simply not invested to provide for economical or preventative health care. They don’t care anything if millions die in a flu epidemic or if people don’t have any insurance.
There are nearly 50 million people without health insurance who cannot afford to pay for their health care needs. For 20,000 to 100,000 (?) a year, who die prematurely for lack of health care, inability to pay means death!
So what if millions die in a pandemic? Enough of the wealthy will always be able to pay whatever is demanded by greedy insurance companies and privatized hospitals. .
The health care “business” must cease to be another “profit center”. Health care facilities and life-or-death health decisions must be taken away from for profit corporations forever calculating to maximize profit.
IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE ORGANIZED LABOR MOVEMENT TO DRAW THE LINE! Stand up to Obama and the Democratic Party for a SINGLE-PAYER UNIVERSAL NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN.
Only in this way can we have a health system that takes care of everyone. Only in this way can we make a national PLAN to handle emergencies like flu epidemics as well as earthquakes and hurricanes like Katrina. Expect NOTHING from privatized health care except greed inflated costs few can afford.
JerryWells, AMEN, brother!! You said it perfectly!!