Montana Nurses Association asks people to ‘please’ wear a mask
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News from Vicky Byrd, MSN, RN, for the Montana Nurses Association
MONTANA — The Montana Nurses Association continues to be incredibly proud of the Montana nurses serving our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. As they have done from the start, nurses are heroically serving at the frontlines of the crisis to care for Montanans despite the severe risks to themselves and their families.
Nurses working across all healthcare settings and specialties are essential to combating COVID-19. Unfortunately, nearly 400 nurses in the United States have died due to COVID-19 and many others have been infected and hospitalized. Nurses and healthcare workers (not to mention our teachers and essential workers) are risking their lives, and the health of their own families, to serve their communities and care for their patients and students.
The latest COVID-19 positive numbers for each day are:
Nov. 14th – 1,622
Nov. 15th – 1,239
Nov. 16th – 943
Nov. 17th – 1,395
Nov. 18th – 1,232
Nov. 19th – 1,236
These numbers are appalling and will very soon overwhelm our hospitals. Some Montana hospitals are already overwhelmed.
Wearing a mask, hand hygiene, social distancing and limiting the number at gatherings are essential to prevent our local healthcare systems and our nation’s healthcare workforce from being overwhelmed. If we do not flatten the curve in the coming weeks and months, it will be more difficult than ever to meet the exploding demand for care from our incredible nursing and healthcare workforce.
MNA is asking for support from our citizens to support the mask mandate when in public and recent statewide restrictions. Additionally, MNA supports keeping schools closed and learning remotely until after the New Year (schools are closing daily) and a stay-at-home recommendation until the New Year as it will be the only way to flatten the curve.
Please, please, please wear a mask to protect your health and those around you. Wearing a mask is an evidence-based proven method to help decrease the spread of COVID. Wearing a mask does not take away your rights. It simply protects each other while we all face this public health crisis. It is no different than wearing a seatbelt and it will/does save lives. There is promising news on a vaccine, however, that will take weeks, and most likely months, for it to become widely available. Getting a flu shot is extremely important this year if you are able to do so.
The Montana Nurses Association is the recognized leader and advocate for the professional nurse in Montana.
