State officials from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) will begin inspections at hospitals to ensure proper personal protective equipment is given to employees.
Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise once again, and the need for PPE remains high for healthcare workers.
Chief Quality and Safety Officer for Munson Healthcare Cadillac Dr. Joe Santangelo said the supply chain for PPE is broken.
“We’re having to be really careful about making sure we’re not wasting personal protective equipment because we’re not sure when we will get more in,” he said.
Santangelo said they have good numbers of PPE, but they try to use it in ways that are recommended by the CDC to avoid wasting equipment.
Senior Regulatory Clinical Specialist for Spectrum Health Reed City and Big Rapids Ryan Thatcher said they are prepared for inspections.
“We get surveyed regularly so it’s just another day for us,” he said. “We have an ample supply of PPE for all of our sites.”
Both Thatcher and Santangelo said employees have had positive responses on how PPE has been provided and stocked.
“Every staff member has said they couldn't be happier with how Spectrum Health has followed the guidelines,” Thatcher said. “PPE procurement has been at the forefront for Spectrum Health since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.”
Santangelo said the important things are that everybody is on the same page and they understand the appropriate PPE for different situations.
“We all want to do what’s best for patients and staff,” he said.