Nurses at Poughkeepsie medical center accuse hospital reusing N-95 masks

Nurses at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie are now alleging the hospital is reusing N-95 masks, after PPE was found strung up on a clothes line in a storage closet over the weekend.

News 12 Staff

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Aug 20, 2020, 7:01 PM

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Updated 1,554 days ago

Nurses at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie are now alleging the hospital is reusing N-95 masks, after PPE was found strung up on a clothes line in a storage closet over the weekend.

ICU nurses gave News 12 video that allegedly shows N-95 masks strung up on a clothes line in a storage closet on Sunday.

One nurse alleges she received what was supposed to be a new mask with makeup stains on it.

News 12 spoke to hospital President Peter Kelly by phone Thursday, who said the masks are being sanitized and stored in the event of a future shortage but are not being reused.

The nurses News 12 spoke to say that's not the case, and expressed concerned for their health and safety at work.

They spoke with News 12 anonymously out of fear of retribution by management.

The hospital maintains they have a three-month supply of PPE, as required by the state, and that the health and safety of staff and patients remains their utmost priority.