{"id":20632,"date":"2020-09-14T15:35:29","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T19:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opsweb.wpengine.com\/?p=20632"},"modified":"2021-07-14T11:47:59","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T15:47:59","slug":"how-the-cdc-protects-health-care-workers-who-are-treating-coronavirus-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourpublicservice.org\/blog\/how-the-cdc-protects-health-care-workers-who-are-treating-coronavirus-patients\/","title":{"rendered":"Stories of Service: How the CDC protects health care workers who are treating coronavirus patients"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Every day, health care workers in this country use personal protective equipment to stay safe while treating patients. However, it can be difficult, even in normal circumstances, to equip our country\u2019s 18 million health care workers with proper PPE. That\u2019s where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory comes in. The laboratory, part of the CDC\u2019s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, standardizes and regulates various types of PPE, and its role has been critical in the nation\u2019s battle against the coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

“We handle the entire standardization process,\u201d said Maryann D\u2019Alessandro, director of the laboratory. \u201cThat includes research, the identification of needs and making necessary changes to the approval process.\u201d When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the national demand for PPE posed a monumental challenge for D\u2019Alessandro\u2019s CDC team\u2014one of its jobs is approving all respirator masks used in occupational settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn February, it was evident that we needed to ramp up approval\noperations, particularly for respirators,\u201d D\u2019Alessandro recalled. \u201cManufacturers\nwere reporting increasing sales, and Americans were buying respirators at two-to-three\ntimes the normal level.\u201d Up to that point, the U.S. imported most of these\nrespirators from China. But the supply slowed when China nationalized its\nrespirator manufacturing plants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filling the PPE gap<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To meet new PPE demands, American companies such as Ford, Whirlpool and General Motors contacted the CDC to offer their assistance and ask how they could produce respirators in their factories. D\u2019Alessandro\u2019s team advised each company how to adjust its operations to produce safe and effective PPE for health care workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But American companies could not immediately pivot from\nbuilding cars and washing machines. Foreign companies offered to fill the gap. In\nnormal times, D\u2019Alessandro\u2019s team would have conducted in-person inspections of\nforeign production facilities before certifying their goods for sale and use here.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, most countries closed their borders and restricted travel because of the pandemic, making the typical levels of scrutiny difficult. \u201cWe allowed, because of shortages, products from other countries to be used in the United States, as long as their standards were equivalent to the CDC\u2019s standards,\u201d D\u2019Alessandro said. This measure required an FDA emergency use authorization but was necessary to save lives, she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focusing on mental health<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

NIOSH also focuses on the mental health of workers in the U.S., and the pandemic\u2019s impact on workplace safety. To help companies and organizations create healthy work environments, NIOSH created the \u201cTotal Worker Health<\/a>\u201d program, which examines mental health issues related to workplace safety and seeks to improve the well-being of the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At times, laboratory employees worked seven days a week for\nlonger-than-normal shifts, a testament to the devotion of D\u2019Alessandro\u2019s team.\n\u201cWe have an incredibly dedicated staff,\u201d she said. \u201cBefore the coronavirus hit,\nsome of our employees weren\u2019t aware of exactly how important our work is. Now\nwe can really see it. It\u2019s possible that we did as much in these six months as in\nthe first 100 years of respiratory protection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more, visit the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory website<\/a>, follow the CDC on Facebook<\/a> and sign up for the agency\u2019s monthly email newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the CDC’s efforts to support the nation during coronavirus, discover the great work other federal employees are doing in the Partnership\u2019s \u201cStories of Service\u201d blog series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n