Since COVID-19 hit, work has become a place of great concern for healthcare workers, including Qiana, an LVN working in a subacute facility in San Bernardino California.

“We have gloves, but things like gowns and masks are rationed,” Qiana said. “That hasn’t been our usual practice.”

Fortunately for Qiana and other healthcare heroes, that worry will soon be a thing of the past.

Workers like Qiana brought their concerns to Sacramento to make sure we’re never again caught without enough personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect all workers. Caregivers from Futuro Health’s partner SEIU-UHW joined Senators Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) and Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) to pass SB275.

The legislation was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 29, making California the first state in the nation to require healthcare employers to keep a 45-day pandemic-level stockpile of PPE for healthcare and essential workers – not just doctors and registered nurses, but also certified nursing assistants, dietary workers, housekeeping and any other group of employees at risk of infection.

“As nurses, we’re taught to do what we can to help reduce the spread of infection, and by having to reuse the equipment, we are putting patients at risk for spreading infection and for contaminating ourselves,” said Qiana, who has been an LVN for nearly 20 years.

Qiana has seen the impacts of COVID-19 at work – and at home. Her husband, also a nurse, contracted COVID and recovered. Without enough PPE, Qiana worries about spreading the virus to patients or family members. Now that SB275 has passed, Qiana can rest easier, knowing that she will have the PPE she needs to protect herself and her community.

Passing this legislation would not have been possible without the hard work of healthcare workers across the state who raised their concerns about lack of PPE.

“For me, the most important thing is to speak up,” Qiana said. “If you see something that’s not right or something that you don’t feel right about, there’s nothing wrong with using your voice.”

For more about Futuro Health and its partners, visit futurohealth.org.