Medical technicians strike in Oregon could be the first of many msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
As a registered respiratory therapist, Rachel Maida spent the past year caring for COVID-19 patients at St Charles Medical Center in Bend, Oregon in the United States – challenging work that has taken both a physical and mental toll on the 48-year-old.
The powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) she wears for 12 hours a day causes headaches, she said, and her mask leaves bruises on her face. She loves her job, but “it’s exhausting, day in and day out,” Maida told Al Jazeera, explaining that earning between $25 and $35 per hour, she is not compensated enough.
That is why nearly a year into the coronavirus pandemic, Maida and more than 150 other medical technicians – a group of highly skilled healthcare professionals who typically don’t have the labour protections afforded to nurses and doctors – have been negotiating their first union contract as part of the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (OFNHP).
Updated Press Release
Case Number: 2021-000001589
Location: Southbound Highway 97/Parkway south of NE Hawthorne Avenue
Semi-Truck Driver: William McCain, 56-year old Male, Alaska resident
Involved Vehicle: 2017 Volvo truck
Pedestrian: Marlow White, 42-year old Male, Bend resident Deceased Next-of-Kin has been notified
On 01-09-2021 about 7:13 PM PST Deschutes County 9-1-1 dispatch received multiple 9-1-1 calls regarding a motor vehicle crash that occurred on southbound Highway 97 “The Parkway” just south of NE Hawthorne Avenue. Callers reported a Semi-Tractor Trailer had collided with a pedestrian.
Officers from the Bend Police Department arrived and provided medical aid to the pedestrian who was unconscious. Bend Fire and Rescue paramedics arrived and transported the pedestrian who succumbed to his injuries at St Charles Medical Center in Bend during treatment. The pedestrian was positively identified as 42-year old Bend resident Marlow White