The Human Cost of COVID-19
One patient. That’s all it took.
An outbreak swept through the facility where Kelly worked.
Kelly is a nurse with over 30 years experience and has an infection control background. When the positive test came back, she expected to receive N95 masks.
Instead, staff were forced to use surgical masks and reuse flimsy shields. Administrators even held back hundreds of expired N95s.
Three weeks later, Kelly was sick.
She survived – but her friend and coworker Brian didn’t.
She thought things would be different when she went back. She was stunned to find no extra protections for staff or residents.
“[Staff] stopped asking for N95s because they felt belittled and stupid for asking for them. I could not believe this. Did the administration not care? Why, after a staff dying, would they not take extra precautions? I struggled through my shift. When I went home that night, I wrote my letter of resignation. This was not how I wanted to end my 30+ years of nursing. I felt like we were like lambs being led to slaughter.”
We can’t afford to look away.
We are sad, tired, and angry. We can’t let Kelly’s story go unheard.
Millions of Canadians are demanding better workplace protections for our family, friends, and coworkers.
Join us and send a letter to the editor right now:
Your story matters.
-Deanna
Deanna Ogle
Regional Representative
Canadian Labour Congress
Standing up for workers and their families
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Canadian Labour Congress/
Congrès du travail du Canada
2841 promenade Riverside Dr
Ottawa, Ontario K1V 8X7
613-521-3400