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You want nurses who are nice....like wonder bread. She is educating people about what real nurses are like. Strong, brave and wish to be left alone. Nurses are advocates. When you recognize that and begin to replace your vision of what nurses are with what they are in reality, it may be easier for you. You will have to get over your "mean" first. We are not gracious most always, we are tough and firm. That is why the public trusts us. Who else today is going to tell you the truth?
Quit this.
First, stop saying you speak for all members of the nursing profession. You don't. 1/2 of your posts are filled with what nurses think, how they act, who they are, what they would do in this situation. You speak for you and you alone. Let's get that cleared up right now.
And second, you speak as though none of us has ever had any contact with a nurse EVER. Lots of people have nurses in their immediate family. (I know I do.) And even more of us have close friends who are nurses. (I have several.)
And I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt - your views DO NOT represent the nurses that I know.
actually obama is right that we cannot seal off the US from ebola. with our southern and northern borders essentially open, all someone infected with ebola has to do is get into canada or mexico, and they are as good as here.
but even if we seal our borders, we still have to deal with shipping ports, and airports. all someone has to do is leave west african countries that are heavily infected with ebola, and cross into one that isnt, and fly out from there to europe, then to canada, then cross into the US.where there is a will, there is a way.
"Quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick."
Notice the key word "EXPOSED", and before someone becomes sick. Hence, the prevention aspect which is where the states are coming down. Given health care professionals, including Kaci the nurse, are suppose to follow the CDC guidelines.....
And the CDC stating that it's the right of a state to take action to quarantine or isolate for the benefit of society. To be read carefully for those talking about abuse of power of a quarantine issued by a state:
"In addition to serving as medical functions, isolation and quarantine also are “police power” functions, derived from the right of the state to take action affecting individuals for the benefit of society."
Bingo.
States have the power to quarantine someone. It's a form of detention. The state goes to a judge, and gets a court order that outlines why the state feels the quarantine is necessary, what the conditions of the quarantine are to be, and the duration of the quarantine. A person can legally challenge a quarantine order. Thus far, the governor of Maine's office has been trying to negotiate the terms of a quarantine that Nurse Hickox will agree to and not legally challenge. And since no terms have been agreed upon, she is not under a quarantine order, and is free to do what she wants.
I think it's more complicated than that. To me, it's that she's unwilling to let politics and fear overrule science and the scientific facts. She may like the attention, too, but when she went to West Africa to fight this disease, I suspect that for her it was a mission. And now she's on a mission, again. This time, she wants medical experts, like the WHO, to be making medical decisions. Medical decisions that are based on science and the medical knowledge of Ebola. She doesn't think politicians are the right persons to be making these decisions. From listening to Nurse Hickox's interviews, and reading about her, she strikes me as a very passionate woman who chooses her causes and commits to them completely. She's a crusader. And a month ago, her crusade was to help Ebola patients in West Africa. Today her crusade is to defend healthcare workers from the stigmatization that comes along with politicizing the Ebola crisis.
So Kaci Hickox is okay with WHO making these decisions but not her own state's health director or the head of her state's CDC? Interesting.
DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew said the federal guidelines are not perfect, so the Maine DHHS and CDC have decided anyone who has been directly exposed to the Ebola virus will be asked to voluntarily quarantine for 21 days upon entering Maine. Though they do not want to enforce home quarantines, the state is willing to pursue legal action if necessary. This policy goes beyond the federal guidelines.
"We have made the determination that out of an abundance of caution, this is a reasonable, common-sense approach to remove additional risk and guard against a public health crisis in Maine," said Mayhew.
Any traveler from West Africa who comes to Maine will be monitored for at least 21 days, a policy consistent with federal guidelines. This monitoring includes daily check-ins with a state epidemiologist for any signs of a fever or other Ebola related symptoms.
What state laws say that you can quarantine someone who's tested negative for a disease, who has no symptoms of the disease, and who is not contagious?
She's been "exposed to" a highly lethal and contagious disease.
I'll highlight the part that will likely come into play here if the Governor decides to exercise his full authority under the law, and it looks like other sections could apply as well short of declaring an extreme public health emergency:
§820. Extreme public health emergency
The provisions of this subchapter apply in the event of the declaration of an extreme public health emergency pursuant to section 802, subsection 2-A and Title 37-B, chapter 13, subchapter II. [2001, c. 694, Pt. A, §1 (NEW); 2005, c. 383, §24 (AFF).]
1. Powers of the department. Upon the declaration of an extreme public health emergency, the department has the following powers.
A. Upon request of the department, a health care provider, pharmacist, medical laboratory or veterinarian shall provide to the department health information directly related to a declared extreme public health emergency. [2005, c. 383, §15 (AMD); 2005, c. 383, §24 (AFF).]
B. The department may take a person into custody and order prescribed care of that person as provided in this subsection.
(1) The department may act without a court order if:
(a) The department has reasonable cause to believe that the person has been exposed to or is at significant medical risk of transmitting a communicable disease that poses a serious and imminent risk to public health and safety;
(b) There are no less restrictive alternatives available to protect the public health and safety; and
(c) The delay involved in securing a court order would pose an imminent risk to the person or a significant medical risk of transmission of the disease.
(2) The department may act pursuant to a court order obtained under subsection 2.
(3) A person is exempt from examination, vaccination, medical care or treatment if alternative public health measures are available, even if those measures are more restrictive, and if:
(a) The person demonstrates a sincere religious or conscientious objection to the examination, vaccination, medical care or treatment; or
(b) The person is at known risk of serious adverse medical reaction to the vaccination or medical care or treatment. [2001, c. 694, Pt. A, §1 (NEW); 2005, c. 383, §24 (AFF).]
I think it's undisputed that Nurse look at me has been "exposed to" ebola.
States have the power to quarantine someone. It's a form of detention. The state goes to a judge, and gets a court order that outlines why the state feels the quarantine is necessary, what the conditions of the quarantine are to be, and the duration of the quarantine. A person can legally challenge a quarantine order. Thus far, the governor of Maine's office has been trying to negotiate the terms of a quarantine that Nurse Hickox will agree to and not legally challenge. And since no terms have been agreed upon, she is not under a quarantine order, and is free to do what she wants.
That seems to be the case. But if they decide to go after her for violating the rules of the quarantine order, based on the CDC legalize, it seems clear to me the state is within their right to prosecute her.
There has been a few posts mentioning the legalities of the quarantine in terms of "they can't do that!". I think the CDC language is clear the state indeed has a right to quarantine or isolate and prosecute for those who don't follow through. And of course they have to follow through to make it happen, as is the case to enforce any law or order. A law/order on the books mean nothing if it's not enforced.
She is. WHO has extensive experience with Ebola, something that Maine's health director or Maine's governor lack. And WHO's guidelines have been perfect in protecting the public. The first victim of this outbreak died in December 2013. So the outbreak has persisted for almost a year. For months and months, hundreds and hundreds of volunteers have been to the affected countries, have had considerable contact with Ebola victims, and have returned home. NOT A SINGLE CASE of a volunteer infecting anyone upon returning home has occurred. It's a perfect record. It's evidence that the WHO guidelines work.
The state's politicians are interjecting political gamesmanship into this process. Nurse Hickox is not okay with that. Nor should she be. None of us should be okay with politicians politicizing Ebola. It's a medical issue, and the majority of politicians aren't doctors. Lawyers, maybe. But not doctors.
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