RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - A group of Southern California hospital workers filed a lawsuit Thursday saying they were given inadequate protective equipment and ordered to return to work while still recovering from the coronavirus, potentially spreading the illness to others.
Three workers, the daughter of a fourth who died from COVID-19 and a hospital workers’ union filed the lawsuit against Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare, which owns Riverside Community Hospital.
The lawsuit alleges the hospital 55 miles (89 kilometers) east of Los Angeles didn’t provide workers proper equipment in a timely manner and called them back to work after they had the virus even though they still had symptoms.
Phlebotomist Gladys Reyes said she was urged to skip sanitation measures aimed at preventing virus-contaminated materials from leaving patients’ rooms to keep up the pace of blood draws. She tested positive for the virus in June.
“I could only get to a few of them at a time, due to the fact they take more precautions to draw,” Reyes said during a teleconference with reporters. “I felt like they were more concerned about a number than my safety.”
Riverside Community Hospital said protecting its workers’ health and safety has been the top priority.
“We’re proud of our response and the significant resources we’ve deployed to help keep our colleagues safe,” the hospital said in a statement. “This lawsuit is an attempt for the union to gain publicity, and we will defend it vigorously.”
More than 11,000 people in California have died from the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and the state has reported more than 640,000 positive cases. Riverside County has reported more than 48,000 cases, the second-highest number in the state, according to data from California’s health agency.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
In the lawsuit filed in Riverside, the workers allege the hospital failed to tell them of possible COVID-19 exposure on the job, leading them to unknowingly expose others to the illness.
One of them, phlebotomist Sally Lara, later died. Her daughter, Vanessa Campos Villalobos, is among the plaintiffs, and said her mother challenged the hospital to provide protective equipment not only to doctors and nurses but also other staff. Lara bought her own masks, gowns and face shields repeatedly, her daughter said.
“It just breaks my heart my mom passed away on June 8, and I’m still hearing stories from employees because there’s still not adequate PPE,” she said.
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