Nurses protest PPE re-use at Arroyo Grande Community Hospital

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. - Health professionals plan to protest in front of Arroyo Grande Community Hospital over what they call inadequate personal protective equipment, or PPE.

Members of the California Nurses Association and National Nurses United will be taking part in the protest.

Nurses are saying Arroyo Grande Community Hospital and other medical facilities do not have enough PPE.

They say nurses are being asked to re-use masks throughout their shift, even when they see other patients.

Nurses are saying this puts both them and all their patients in danger.

More than 2,600 healthcare workers in California have caught COVID-19, and several have died.

Dignity Health Central Coast, who runs the hospital, said in a statement they are prepared with PPE.

"Dignity Health Central Coast hospitals support our physicians and health care staff, including our essential nurses. We continue to follow WHO, CDC, and local public health department guidelines regarding the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Our hospitals currently have sufficient and appropriate equipment to protect our caregivers and patients. We continuously assess the volume of supplies at our facilities and have additional procurement plans to ensure our employees have the PPE necessary. We appreciate the dedication and willingness of our health care employees to serve our community at such a critical time."

Dignity Health Central Coast

The protest tonight is similar to a protest held the first week of April at French Hospital in San Luis Obispo.