Help the family of Roda Vicuna

COVID-19June 11, 2020

Dear NUHW Member:

A GoFundMe account has been set up on behalf of the family of Roda Vicuna. Roda, a licensed vocational nurse at Kindred Hospital Brea, died of COVID-19 on May 29. Contributions will go to Roda’s husband and her two children. NUHW is planning to make a separate donation to the family.

Roda’s sister, who also works at Kindred Brea, recently shared with her co-workers a journal entry about Roda and how her family struggled through the final weeks of her life. You can read that entry by clicking here.

Our primary focus is on making all employers properly protect the health of their workers. One of the very few employers that has done a good job when it comes to making sure that workers are tested for COVID-19 has been Keck Medicine of USC.

Last month, NUHW, because of our strong record of standing up for strong safety precautions for workers and patients, was asked to participate in a television advertisement that thanked Los Angeles County residents for doing their part to stay safe during the pandemic. Since Keck USC has been one of the better employers in terms of making tests available, we asked Keck, as well as the Los Angeles County Fire Department to join us in making the ad.

The ad, which was written and filmed prior to the recent civil rights demonstrations, has aired on several local Los Angeles television stations.

Coronavirus infections are continuing to grow in many parts of California. Health officials recently placed nine counties, including Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Santa Clara and Sacramento counties, on a watch list for potential reinstatement of lockdown orders. Infection rates are also increasing again in the Bay Area even as the region begins revising shelter-in-place orders.

If you have a COVID-19-related question or concern, email us at COVID19@gmail.com.

In Unity,
Sal Rosselli, President, National Union of Healthcare Workers
Sophia Mendoza, Secretary-TreasurerNational Union of Healthcare Workers