California Nurses Assn. President: Obama Must Issue Exec. Order To Protect Nurses from CDC

DÍAZ-BALART: “You have been one of the voices taking aim at the protocol. What do you make of what you just heard from nurse Aguirre [sic].”

BURGER: “It is not surprising. We did the study with over 750 facilities nationwide, over 2,500 nurses responding, and they had the same exact answers. Our employers are not providing the patient protection gear. They’re not providing education and training, they’re not providing hands-on drill drills. The protocols are constantly changing and what we really want to see happen is -- I’m really happy to hear that President Obama is going to use executive authority to assist the people in Liberia, but the nurses are going to be calling on President Obama to issue an executive order that the CDC guidelines and standards and optimal protection need to be an executive order to protect the health care workers in this country.”

DÍAZ-BALART: “Now, that is a good point. And you’re referring to this executive order news that we broke right here at this hour that the president is going to issue an executive order.”

BURGER: “Exactly.”

DÍAZ-BALART: “But I don’t know if you need an executive order for specific, clear and concise guidelines to be given to all health care workers in this country. Isn’t that what the CDC is all about?”

BURGER: “Well, the CDC puts up the guidelines, but it is up to all 5,000 hospitals and then health care facilities to implement those guidelines. And those guidelines are just exactly that. The hospitals do not have to follow those guidelines. They don’t even have to read them. And it is obvious they’re not handing them out to the employees because the nurses at Dallas were very upset that the guidelines -- they were making up things as they went.”