A New Jersey nurse was reportedly suspended by her hospital after crowdsourcing more than $12,000 to buy gowns and masks for her colleagues.
Olga Matievskaya, 48, and her nursing colleagues at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center were so desperate for protective equipment against coronavirus that Matievskaya turned to GoFundMe, where donations poured in, ProPublica reported.
But while nurses at the hospital were elated to have the extra gear, the health facility told the outlet Matievskaya was suspended for handing out “unauthorized” equipment.
“No employee is allowed to distribute unauthorized medical supplies within the hospital,” the statement said. “The nurse in question was temporarily suspended for inappropriately distributing unauthorized medical supplies, against this policy.”
Four nurses said that the hospital had failed to provide proper equipment to protect themselves and patients as they fight on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the outlet.
Some in the intensive care unit were given a single surgical mask in a brown bag to use for an entire week, one nurse said.
Others have had to reuse gowns, even though they believe it best to discard them after each interaction with an infected patient.
“We understand this is what we signed up for,” an ICU nurse told ProPublica. “Just provide us with sufficient (protective equipment) so we can give these patients the optimal care that they need, and so we aren’t contaminating others or ourselves.”
Nurses and administrators have reportedly differed on what gear is actually needed to treat patients.
Dr. Matthew Schreiber, the hospital’s COO, told Pro Publica that hospital has the personal protective equipment “that the staff require, which is at times not the same as the [protective equipment] that people want to have. There’s lots of items people may bring from somewhere else.”
The suspension of Matievskaya, who could not immediately be reached for comment, reportedly ended on Monday.