Nurses to Rally in Palm Springs Calling For More COVID-19 Protection

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – As COVID-19 patients continue to fill hospitals around the country, registered nurses in Palm Springs are planning a rally Wednesday evening in front of a local hospital to demand to be outfitted with additional personal protective equipment, along with the passage of a stimulus bill backed by Democrats in Congress. National Nurses United, a labor union of registered nurses with nearly 185,000 members nationwide, is planning a national day of protest on Wednesday, which includes a stop on a street corner in front of Desert Regional Medical Center starting at 6 p.m. "COVID has exposed everything that has been wrong with our system," said Zenei Cortez, a registered nurse and co-president of the union. "The old way was a huge failure. Now is the time to re-envision a world based on nurses’ values of caring, compassion, and community." Union members will also rally for the passage of the $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, or the HEROES Act, which passed the House of Representatives, but has not yet been voted on in the Senate. Provisions of the HEROES Act include beefed-up production of personal protective equipment domestically through the Defense Production Act, along with cash payments, unemployment benefits and daycare subsidies that the union also supports. The rally will be held at the corner of Tachevah and Indian Canyon drives near the Desert Regional Medical Centerm at 1150 E. Indian Canyon Drive from 6-8 p.m.