Nurses across Wisconsin are asking people to take precautions to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Wisconsin Federation of Nurses calls what’s happening right now a “crisis point” in our state.
Jamie Lucas, Executive Director of the federation, says of nurses and health care workers right now: “it’s trying, it's excruciating to understand the stresses that they are under right now. The enormous pressures, not just dealing with the virus, but their life responsibilities, keeping their families healthy.”
Healthcare worker and union member Connie Smith says her hospital is packed with patients with the increased number of COVID-19 cases in the state. She’s asking people in Wisconsin to take the health recommendations seriously.
“If there was just a more conscious effort of people to really mask and stay home and limit their interactions… it’s really really frustrating. You think about how hard you work to take care of those people who are sick” said Smith.
Many healthcare workers are being asked to “float” within hospitals. That’s where they work in different departments to help with the surge of COVID-19 patients. As of Tuesday, there were more than 2,000 people with coronavirus in hospitals across Wisconsin.