Please read and share this thread on how we are failing our doctors. An emergency medicine physician on the frontline of #COVID19 just sent me this email. They said they have to be anonymous because the hospital said they would be "fired on the spot for divulging this info."

1/

From the physician: "This shit is getting so much worse. Now not only do we have to reuse masks for an entire shift, they are now gonna collect them from us and “sterilize” them and hand them out again for future use." 2/

"AND worst of all, they will NOT allow us to use our own respirators purchased from Amazon such as one shown below, which are MEANT to be reused." 3/

"So they are forcing doctors and nurses to use old, single use masks possibly sterilized with carcinogenic substances which we will have to rebreath over and over. I used to think the hospitals had their workers best interest in mind but now I see it’s all about the optics." 4/

"Everyone using the same kind of mask regardless of how inadequate is better than patients seeing some with plastic reusable respirators and thinking it’s an every man for himself situation (which it really is)." 5/

"I don’t know if you know anyone who is doing more follow up stories on PPE but this is now becoming insane.
We will be fired on the spot if we go on record divulging this info. It’s total BS."

6/6

Another physician messaged me this: "Unfortunately, like many physicians I just received a call for a reduction of my salary - by 20% for the next few months. Several of my colleagues throughout the country have had paycuts
or have been let go (in places with shutdowns). 7/

"What is unfortunate and really sad part of the story is having doctors volunteer to work and yet give them no protection (PPE) and no incentive such as hazard pay or loan forgiveness.

This isn't being hightlighted aside from the need for PPE and test kits. " 8/

Received this from a physician, who asked to be anonymous and hide some details to protect his job: "Everything you’re hearing is true. The practice I work for is trying to negotiate with a supplier in [a foreign country] on our own to see if we can procure PPE..." 9/

"...We also started 3D printing our own face shields. Not only have been we been behind the virus from the beginning, we have been under-equipped." 10/