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Beaumont to shift COVID-19 resources, patients from Wayne; workers complain about protective equipment

Updated  April 10, 2020 11:36pm EDT
Coronavirus in Michigan
FOX 2 Detroit

WAYNE, Mich. (FOX 2) - Beaumont Health says its COVID-19 patient curve is "moderating. The health system is now shifting resources and patients away from its hospital in Wayne, saying there is no need to continue the extensive surge plan there.

Just two weeks ago Beaumont shut down the emergency department at the hospital in Wayne, transforming it into an Intensive Care Unit overflow to make more room for COVID-19 patients.

Beaumont Wayne to redeploy staffing and resources COVID-19

Beaumont Health says its COVID-19 patient curve is "moderating. The health system is now shifting resources and patients away from its hospital in Wayne, saying there is no need to continue the extensive surge plan there.

“Right now they're saying we are going to be closed, I have heard everything from a minimum of two weeks to up to two months,” said a nurse who works there.  “They want to redeploy us to other locations.”

One nurse who wished to remain anonymous, says some staffers are being sent home without pay if there's no room for them to work at other hospitals.

They have to reuse masks, gowns and other personal protection equipment and they're not receiving any hazard pay for when they are working with COVID-19 patients.

RELATED: Michigan confirms 205 new COVID-19 deaths, 1,279 new cases in past 24 hours

“If a grocery store worker or almost any other essential employee is being compensated right now but a hospital staff front line staff is not - that's a problem,” he said.

“For our employer to force us work high risk jobs with direct patient infected contact that we are not trained for, and without proper PPE that we have not been afforded, without proper compensation is exploitative and detestable,” said Jason Bradford in a YouTube video.

Beaumont Wayne employee Jason Bradford works in registration at the hospital and took to YouTube Friday saying non-essential employees are still on the job-some working in areas with high risk of COVID-19 infection.

“And we, those in my department who have come into direct contact with patients, have never seen a single N95 mask,” Bradford said.

Many Beaumont employees having a tough go of it - and it was made worse after learning a worker at the Royal Oak hospital passed away last weekend.

Beaumont has said that caregivers working with COVID-19 patients have the proper PPE recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.