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Why the hell questions (& Masks)

A friend posted something on Facebook that has had me thinking. Well, that’s a given. It was a copy an paste with a few statements that had no facts to back up what was being said, however gathered great support. She stated that it wasn’t a political post which to me is a signal that while it seemed rather political, I will honor her intent and respond this way. Not that I’m any kind of expert but to maybe if seen might gather more thought than just a quick, I agree! I think sometimes we all agree too soon because of our individual hopes of a reality that can’t be realized.

This was the first part:(abbreviated, edited for purpose)

I’M NOT POSTING THIS FOR DEBATE. IF YOU DON’T AGREE UNFRIEND ME AND SAVE US BOTH ANYMORE WASTED TIME. Just please consider this…when you think the President is a jerk…
The bottom line has been that Trump IS a jerk. He’s crude, he bloviates, he gets his feelings hurt and he’s a hot head. And he should stay off Twitter.
Let me tell you what else he is. He is a guy that demands performance. He is a guy that asks lots of questions. The questions he asks aren’t cloaked in fancy phrases, they are “why the hell….” questions.
For decades the health industry has thrown away billions of face masks after one use. Trump asks, “Why the hell are we throwing them away? Why not sterilize them and use them numerous times?”
(cause hospitals LOVE to waste money. No!)

I will always be the first person to say that there are no dumb questions. And we should all ask “why” more. Five times I think is what they say. So about 50 – 100 questions should be asked about the content of that post.

Questions asked with no answers then dispersed through to the masses I feel leave open even more questions and the idea or thought that these questions have easy answers and so we move on.

With that in mind, with a little bit of thought and care these can all be answered. Some of the answers for the other statements will surprise some of us. I’ll leave the bulk of them for you to check on for yourself if you see this and know what I’m talking about. I can find the rest of the answers to what was in that post, but you’ll say my finding are biased. Even though I use the whole of the Google and not just a couple of sources.

Masks “Why the hell are we throwing them away? Why not sterilize them and use them numerous times?”

Now, I know nothing! But I’d like to share something about PPE, masks and reuse that I’ve found. I could ask the Nurse Managers I work with, but they are busy. I could ask my friend who is a Doctor where I work. She is busy to. This question can be answered, but I don’t think with just one easy answer like, “Ok, you’re right! Let’s sterilize and reuse hospital PPE!”. No. It’s not extremely complicated, but can’t be answered with a quick short answer. It involves too many individual products with a range of materials. Which that in itself should form some sort of answer as to maybe why not, even with out the Google. Just like the other questions include and involve too many layers of reality to answer with one simple response.

I work for a large top hospital and university in Oregon. This is part of a communication put out to our community today. Read through this and you tell me, can masks be reused? Which ones?

* PPE Classified as Green: Will be used according to factory standards in accordance with CDC recommendations. We remains committed to the highest levels of patient and staff safety for the duration of the pandemic.
* N-95 and PPE Reuse: we encourages every RN who is not trained or competent at reusing any form of supply to not reuse the PPE. Nurses who believe their PPE is contaminated must dispose of and attain new PPE to ensure maximum nurse and patient safety.
* PPE Classification System: we agreed to request whether further discernment and/or understanding regarding the “yellow” category (> 1 week, <30 days) could be provided. We are still seeking to follow up on this. * Accessible PPE on Every Unit: Both RNs and management agree that PPE should be in designated areas that is easily accessible and immediately available on every unit during every shift. This specifically includes sufficient PPE on each unit’s Code Cart. If this practice is not occurring on your unit, please reach out to your Nurse Manager, Assistant Nurse Manager, Specialty Practice Leader, or UBNPC member and have this addressed expediently.
* Hospital-grade Issued PPE is Required: Currently, we are confident there is enough PPE for every hospital employee to provide health care safely. There is agreement that as necessary, decisions will be made about the use of personal PPE.

So. Which ones are you willing to have your Doctor or Nurse have on when they come to see you at your next visit or god forbid a hospital stay. And do you hope they are either new or very clean after a sterilization. Think about your reuse of materials and how they diminish or their effectiveness drops.

Whether anyone likes the CDC or any other agency that set regulations for things people use, I don’t believe that any of those regulations are done willy-nilly and for no reason. And I for one appreciate someone thinking about my safety without even knowing me or knowing if I will ever be in a situation where someone has on contaminated PPE while helping me with an illness or a surgery. Think about it, of all places to take the most precaution. No question in my mind.

Be Safe
Be Healthy
Be of Ease

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