The state has been tracking the number of masks, gowns, respirators and face shields each Oregon hospital has since May 5. However, healthcare workers in Oregon claim hospitals are neglecting to accurately document their PPE needs via the state’s HOSCAP reporting system, leaving some facilities without adequate supplies. Oregon Nurses Association spokesperson Kevin Mealy told the publication hospitals were given “free rein to determine their own numbers.”
“We are hearing loud and clear that front-line workers are not receiving adequate and safe supplies of PPE in many facilities,” said Sharon Meieran, MD, an emergency room physician who serves on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners.
The Oregon Health Authority said in a statement that it is aware current PPE data recorded in the state tracking system is not as accurate or useful as it could be, according to the report. OHA is working with the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems to improve the PPE supply reporting process.
Reporting issues include some hospitals leaving entire categories blank and no data at all for numerous hospitals, including various Providence hospitals and Legacy Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland, according to the report. Some hospitals also input their combined PPE stocks as duplicate entries.
Oregon Health Authority CMO Dana Hargunani, MD, said the state intends to ask hospitals to stop reporting raw numbers of equipment and instead record how many days it anticipates current supplies will last.
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