Coronavirus News: CT lawmakers want wage increase for health care workers, search for PPE

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
CT lawmakers search for PPE, wage increase for health care workers
Lawmakers want a $13 increase for health care workers.

CONNECTICUT (WABC) -- Connecticut lawmakers are pushing to support essential workers as they face the front line of this pandemic with a $13-dollar an hour pay increase.

It comes as one nursing home reports 35 deaths from coronavirus.

Now, workers are struggling to find adequate PPE as they care for these critically ill patients.

"States and nursing, and hospitals, they are all in bidding wars in back alleys and it's crazy and it's wasteful," said Richard Feifer, of Genesis Healthcare. "Fighting over and inadequate supply, you're still going to have too many losers and too many deaths."

Connecticut officials say they are working hard to get additional PPE to the facilities that desperately need it.

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