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Front Line Challenges: MN Nurses Assoc. President Mary Turner

Mary Turner, President of MN Nurses Association

Experienced nurses that are able to deal with COVID, we're a finite resource and we're not to be taken lightly...This whole concept of any nurse being disciplined for merely fighting for the safety of their patients and themselves is unacceptable. - Mary Turner, President, MN Nurses Association

Nurses from Bemidji, Bagley and Thief River Falls joined forces (with safe social distancing of course) to express concern about working conditions yesterday. 

Mary TurnerPresident of the MN Nurses Association spoke with us on the morning show about the risks nurses are taking while caring for patients, the unique risks associated with smaller, rural hospitals, the difficulties with securing enough personal protective equipment in Minnesota and what the public can do to best help healthcare workers stay healthy so they can do their jobs. 

What is really sad right now is that it seems to be that the whole wearing of masks and social distancing and that kind of stuff has become politicized. To a nurse, when you walk in and we're going to take care of you. We don't see race, creed, color, political persuasion...We don't see any of that. We see a human being that we are going to take care of and to have something this important being politicized and becoming a symbol of whatever way you're politically thinking is... so scary...Wear the masks and encourage hospitals to do more testing... I cannot stress enought that this cannot get political.  It needs to be looked at from a public health and public safety standpoint.  - Mary Turner

Thank you to all the nurses and healthcare providers helping us navigate this pandemic!  

Katie Carter started at Northern Community Radio in 2008 as Managing Editor of the station's grant-funded, online news experiment Northern Community Internet. She returned for a second stint in 2016-23. She produced Area Voices showcasing the arts, culture, and history stories of northern Minnesota.