Gov. Jerry Brown met with top public health officials and nursing union leaders Tuesday to discuss efforts to prepare for Ebola. The meetings came on the heels of new guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Monday night.
There are no known cases of Ebola in California. But after two nurses in Texas became infected after treating an Ebola patient there, the CDC is now recommending that hospitals provide better protective equipment for health workers, and hands-on training for how to put it on and take it off.
But the California Nurses Association (CNA) says the guidelines don't go far enough.
Oakland nurse Katy Roemer says the CNA wants the governor to issue a mandate that forces hospitals to follow through with the training, and the CNA wants hospitals to provide protective suits that go beyond CDC guidelines.
"We want full Hazmat suits," Roemer said in reference to hazardous materials suits, "so that when we are in a room risking our lives taking care of these patients, that we are protected."