Placer County Public Health officials announced this week that a patient who had tested positive for COVID-19 last month has died. This was the first COVID-19 related death reported in the state of California. The California State Council of Emergency Nurses Association (Cal ENA) would like to express our condolences to the patient’s family and loved ones as well as our appreciation for the front-line staff who cared for this individual.
As we continue to face the ongoing task of caring for our communities, Cal ENA wants emergency nurses to know that we support the guidelines put out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA).
ENA President Mike Hastings, MSN, RN, CEN has said, “As the safety net for our communities, emergency departments across the country are filled with patients who have nowhere else to go for their health care needs. The emergence of novel coronavirus as a possible pandemic, amid an already challenging flu season, serves as a reminder that we must ensure our health communities – first responders, public health departments and hospitals – have the necessary resources to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to provide the best possible care to all patients.”
ENA has created a COVID-19 reference page on their website, and Cal ENA encourages members to reference it frequently along with the CDC website to find the most up-to-date information and recommendations.
Please know that your California ENA State Council is here to provide continued support and guidance during this challenging time in emergency medicine.
Resources
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
- https://www.ena.org/practice-resources/covid-19?fbclid=IwAR1gP5W5iKdPdR6vxmhdfcLwjqOBrdvKSkoUpOsFYZ-Ptjv8lKqBDuMQHBQ
- https://www.acep.org/coronavirus
