SEIU 721 to LA County Department of Public Health: "We Need More PPE!"

We, the undersigned members of SEIU 721, are the frontline heroes of the LA County Department of Public Health (DPH) without whom the healthcare safety net protecting nearly 11 million people across a 4,715-square-mile region could not function. COVID-19 accentuated this truth – and the novel Coronavirus continues to endanger us as well as the public we serve in LA County’s vast network of hospitals and clinics. Using proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is crucial to containing the spread of COVID-19. As frontline employees, state law covers us under CalOSHA statutes explicitly when it comes to PPE. Yet we still lack it and are not fully protected many months into this pandemic – endangering not just our health but the lives of the patients we serve. 

We need more PPE! LA County DPH employees must be fully protected with proper PPE approved by Cal OSHA regulations each time we provide services to the community during every DPH assignment. For example: A new N95 respirator and fluid-resistant gown must be used for each individual with whom we closely engage be it through testing, care or specimen collection. This is just one illustration of necessary PPE currently lacking during our daily work. There are many more. All are unacceptable and must change immediately – for the good of hospital staff, the patients we care for and the public at-large.

We demand that LA County DPH standards be in full compliance with CalOSHA laws, Title 22 rules and other regulations. We need more PPE!

Sincerely,
The Frontline Heroes of LA County DPH