Health |

Nursing home workers complain they face COVID-19 outbreaks without information or even training on wearing masks

A certified nursing assistant said she got no training on how to wear a mask while working at a south suburban nursing home, leaving her unsure whether the blue side or the white side should face out.

“I just put on two of them and just … pray for the best,” said Shaundria Foster, who said she works at Prairie Oasis in South Holland.

Her complaint was one of many aired Thursday in an online conference call organized by her union, SEIU Healthcare, which represents workers including nursing assistants, housekeepers and janitors. Amid a wave of COVID-19 outbreaks plaguing nursing homes around the state, workers called for better access to protective equipment and training on how to use it, more information from their managers and hazard pay for the risks they’re taking.

Michelle Gilbert, who identified herself as a certified nursing assistant at Burbank Rehabilitation Center, said she had the coronavirus and a supervisor pressed her to return to work before she was ready, which she refused to do.

“I think that it’s wrong to try to pressure people to come back to work when they’re sick,” she said.

Sharon Lake, a certified nursing assistant who said she also works at Burbank, reported she learned of patients with COVID-19 from an overheard conversation at the facility.

“The management needs to communicate with the staff, and let us know what’s going on in the facility and also if there’s positive people, we need to know that,” she said.

She added, “Everyone in our facility is at risk and we deserve to be paid accordingly to that.”

In response to questions, Ron Nunziato, CEO of Extended Care Consulting, sent a statement on behalf of Burbank saying the home had not had shortages of protective gear and had implemented a hazard pay program for “staff that work with COVID-19 positive residents and any persons under investigation for this virus.” The home was “proactive” and followed guidance from federal and state health authorities and enacted symptom screening and cleaning, he said.

“Our first priority has and will always be our residents’ health, safety and wellbeing. We also recognize the importance of the health and welfare of our staff,” he stated.

State figures released Sunday showed that six cases and three deaths had been reported at the Burbank facility.

The site listed seven cases and one death at Prairie Oasis. A spokeswoman for that home could not be reached for comment.

Beyond the homes noted in the conference call Thursday, Greg Kelley, president of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, said a broad survey of members drew an overwhelming response from workers who said they had inadequate protective gear and were not getting good information from managers. But he added that understaffing, poor pay and lack of equipment are long-standing issues.

“This is not a new problem in nursing homes,” he said. “Unfortunately, this pandemic has brought it home and residents are dying, our members are dying and getting sick.”