Nurses at Linden Center nursing home say bodies are piling up

Activists in Brooklyn say an East New York nursing home is struggling to cope with the volume of bodies it has, and management isn't doing enough to protect the staff.

News 12 Staff

Apr 15, 2020, 2:16 AM

Updated 1,466 days ago

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Activists in Brooklyn say an East New York nursing home is struggling to cope with the volume of bodies it has, and management isn't doing enough to protect the staff.

Nurses and activists gathered outside Linden Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation Tuesday. They say the facility's management has failed to deal with the pandemic properly.

Some workers at the center say the morgue has run out of space, so they are keeping the bodies in an overflow room.

A representative for the nursing home told News 12 they got a temporary morgue to alleviate the backlog.

Workers are also calling on management to provide better protection for staff and nurses by providing them with adequate PPE.

The nursing home representative said they have an adequate supply of PPE but staff say they are being asked to keep the same gowns on all day.

Another issue is hazard pay. Nurses say a bonus structure has been implemented, awarding them with additional money for working a consecutive week. But they say it is not the same as providing hazard pay for those risking their own health.

A spokesperson for the Linden Center told News 12 in a statement, "Like all medical facilities on the front lines, Linden Center is treating COVID-19 patients as required by the Department of Health. We are doing everything in our power to provide critical care to the vulnerable and protect our brave staff and residents."
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