{"id":39833,"date":"2020-04-03T15:42:55","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T15:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/04\/03\/va-staffers-sound-alarm-over-shortages-in-staffing-equipment\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:52:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:52:52","slug":"va-staffers-sound-alarm-over-shortages-in-staffing-equipment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2020\/04\/03\/va-staffers-sound-alarm-over-shortages-in-staffing-equipment\/","title":{"rendered":"VA staffers sound alarm over shortages in staffing, equipment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nurse Irma Westmoreland said the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/03\/27\/va-leaders-warn-of-workforce-shortages-lengthy-pandemic-as-coronavirus-cases-rise\/\" target=_blank>Veterans Affairs hospital<\/a> where she works has already run out of paper gowns and is warning staffers to ration their use of linens out of concerns the facility may run out of protective equipment for use on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The site \u2014 the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Ga. \u2014 has only had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/coronavirus\/\" target=_blank>five confirmed cases of coronavirus<\/a> so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen we get a surge of cases, where will we be?\u201d said Westmoreland, a 30-year employee at VA and vice president of National Nurses United, which represents 12,000 nurses at 23 different VA sites across the country. \u201cI\u2019m afraid for my co-workers and I\u2019m afraid for my family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.federaltimes.com\/management\/2019\/11\/15\/va-to-cut-union-time-and-office-space-use\/\" target=_blank>Union officials<\/a> are raising concerns this week about what they see as significant deficiencies in VA readiness to respond to the coronavirus epidemic, which has already killed more than 6,000 Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/video\/2017\/07\/24\/2\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"223\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP17201490517152.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Combat vet turned football star takes on mentoring role<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Former NFL player and Army veteran Daniel Rodriguez is teaching kids football skills using his own experience in the field and in the service.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, NNU members from the Brooklyn VA facility in New York City are planning a between-shifts protest of conditions there, promising no disruption in care but also more public awareness of the problems staff are facing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The move comes as VA leaders work to assure patients and the public that they are prepared not only for the demands of veterans during the fast-spreading outbreak, but also for the potential responsibility of taking in non-veteran patients to help with overwhelmed community health centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement Friday, VA press secretary Christina Noel said that \u201call VA facilities are equipped with essential items and supplies, and we are continually monitoring the status of those items to ensure a robust supply chain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nationwide, VA officials have reported nearly 2,000 coronavirus cases among patients in the last month and 68 deaths connected to the illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Friday, the Detroit Free Press reported that a nurse at the John D. Dingell Medical Center in Detroit died as a result of coronavirus complications, the first known casualty among VA staffers. At least 185 employees have tested positive for the illness in recent weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Reuters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-health-coronavirus-usa-vets\/new-york-veterans-hospital-struggling-with-coronavirus-outbreak-asked-to-help-civilians-idUSKBN21E1IR\" target=\"_blank\">report last week<\/a> detailed concerns of staffers at the Brooklyn and Bronx VA hospitals in New York City \u2014 one of the areas of the country worst hit by the pandemic so far \u2014 including mask shortages and inadequate staffing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A nurse from the Brooklyn site (who asked her identity to be withheld to protect her job) said that some medical personnel are being asked to care for two or three times their normal patient workload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is just so unsafe,\u201d she told Military Times. \u201cWe\u2019re all barely making it to the end of our shifts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/03\/veterans-unemployment-spikes-in-march-but-the-full-impact-of-coronavirus-outbreak-is-still-unknown\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/JobFair-RESIZED.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Veterans unemployment spikes in March, but the full impact of coronavirus outbreak is still unknown<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The 4.1 percent unemployment rate for all veterans in March is the highest that estimate has reached in two years.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite that, the hospital took on several non-veteran patients in the last week, as other local hospitals are overwhelmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this week, officials from the National Federation of Federal Employees said that staff at the East Orange VA hospital in New Jersey have similarly complained about the lack of personal protective equipment. That facility already has 54 confirmed coronavirus cases, and has reported two deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur members, who are bravely fighting to protect and care for our veterans, cannot continue to put their lives at risk without even the most basic safety precautions,\u201d the group said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But VA officials disputed the NFFE claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVA New Jersey Health Care System has a plan in place to ensure the safety of patients, staff and their families,\u201d spokeswoman Christine Betros Farrell said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c(The campus) is equipped with the essential items needed to handle COVID-19 cases, and we are continually monitoring the status of those items to ensure a robust supply chain. VANJHCS provides PPE for all employees who are working in patient care or screening areas. (Leadership) is following all CDC guidelines for the use of masks and protective equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The East Orange site is also expected to take in non-veteran patients in coming days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week, in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/03\/26\/va-secretary-pledges-public-coronavirus-response-wont-compromise-focus-on-veterans\/\" target=_blank>interview with Military Times<\/a>, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said he is in routine contact with regional officials to ensure that specific needs are being met. While he acknowledged some \u201cgaps\u201d in supplies were inevitable, he expressed confidence in the VA system\u2019s ability to react to those problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Westmoreland said the Augusta VA hospital had an adequate supply of personal protective equipment at the start of the month, but much of that has been shipped to nearby sites like the Atlanta VA medical campus because of increased needs there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Personnel she has spoken with at other sites around the country said many administrators allowed their reserves to dwindle or expire, creating shortages today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo even at places where supplies may be OK for now, we\u2019re all worried,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/03\/trump-says-va-wont-collect-debts-will-extend-benefits-deadlines-amid-coronavirus-outbreak\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20078642884933.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Trump says VA won\u2019t collect debts, will extend benefits deadlines amid coronavirus outbreak<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The move is designed to ease financial pressures on vets amid the pandemic.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Westmoreland, who has worked at VA facilities for more than 30 years, has done mostly administrative work in the recent past but said she is shifting now to direct-patient care as all staffers shift to the emergency response. Much of her training has been online classes and paperwork, instead of the hands-on experience she would prefer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week, VA officials took to social media to reach out to retired VA clinicians and other federal healthcare providers to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/2020\/03\/23\/coronavirus-threat-prompts-va-request-for-doctors-nurses-to-come-out-of-retirement\/\" target=_blank>consider returning to the workforce<\/a> to help with the national emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVA has a comprehensive training plan in place to ensure our clinical teams have an understanding of COVID-19 and how to use PPE to ensure the safety of their patients and themselves,\u201d Noel said. \u201cVA health care workers have performed amazingly well during these challenging times, and will continue to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But NNU officials called that irresponsible given the VA leadership\u2019s lack of response to existing staff concerns. Corey Lanham, mid-Atlantic collective bargaining director, in a statement said he fears \u201cunnecessary deaths of both veterans and civilian patients who are being treated at the VA\u201d if adjustments aren\u2019t made soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Westmoreland said she expects to start seeing a sharp increase in her facility\u2019s coronavirus numbers any day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI love VA and I love our mission,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019d all be happy to do the work, if we just had enough supplies and training to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cI\u2019m afraid for my co-workers and I\u2019m afraid for my family, said one VA nurse.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":75165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":19,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[61,101,23,88,12,26,62,19],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3222],"class_list":["post-39833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coronavirus","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-left-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"YPS7IVBYCJAVDCVVXIPWHNC5YA","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/04\/03\/va-staffers-sound-alarm-over-shortages-in-staffing-equipment\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>VA staffers sound alarm over shortages in staffing, equipment - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cI\u2019m afraid for my co-workers and I\u2019m afraid for my family, said one VA nurse.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VA staffers sound alarm over shortages in staffing, equipment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cI\u2019m afraid for my co-workers and I\u2019m afraid for my family, said one VA nurse.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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