Doctors and nurses are the superheroes of our day. My new column looks at how hospitals are punishing and sometimes firing them for speaking up about inadequate personal protective equipment. This is where the unconscionable meets the idiotic: https://nyti.ms/2UAWOP2 

In Washington State, an ER doctor was terminated because of his plea to protect staff and patients. In Chicago a nurse was fired for bringing her own N95 mask. In Texas, a doctor was suspended for wearing a mask in a hallway. In NYC, a doctor sent home for wearing her own PPE.

We owe so much to doctors, nurses, technicians and cleaning staff who face Covid risks. One ER doc died today. More will die. They have our backs, but we don't have theirs. We betray them by sending them into battle with inadequate PPE--and letting them get fired for speaking up.

The hospital CEO who fired the WA doctor wouldn't speak to me. The doc told me he doesn't want protests that would distract from the fight against Covid. But I hope the hospital board weighs whether it has greater need now for an experienced ER doc or for a bumbling CEO.

Hospital administrators tell me that they provide adequate PPE. Maybe. No one knows. This is a new virus. CDC's advice changes. Different countries have varying standards. We're all guessing -- but we let a senior doctor be fired for trying to reduce the risks? Shameful.

While the optimal level of PPE for Covid is uncertain, this we know: 1. Health workers are risking their lives; 2. They often don't have adequate PPE; 3. Their infections will undermine the health system; 4. We owe them so much, yet we are betraying them. http://nyti.ms/2UAWOP2