On Thurs., Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced that the City of Seattle is making up to 100 rooms at the Executive Pacific Hotel available for health care workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rooms are available for quarantine for health care workers to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among members of their household and their loved ones.
To prevent further strain on the region’s hospitals, the rooms are also available for asymptomatic COVID-19 positive health care workers who must be in isolation but who don’t require hospitalization. As of April 16, 11 health care workers have stayed at the Executive Pacific Hotel, and 11 total Seattle Police Department (SPD) and Seattle Fire Department (SFD) personnel have stayed at this hotel.
“Our health care workers are on the frontlines of this pandemic, and they are routinely asked to risk their own personal safety to help others. We know that failure to provide protections for health care workers, including isolation spaces like these, can have devastating consequences,” said Durkan. “No health care worker should have to worry about infecting their loved ones, especially if they live with people who are more vulnerable to this virus. Seattle will continue to prioritize the needs of our first responders and health care workers, and I encourage all residents to show their appreciation for all those who are working tirelessly to flatten the curve and keep our communities safe and healthy.”
The City of Seattle initially reserved the full Executive Pacific Hotel in mid-march March with the intention of providing Seattle Police Department (SPD) and Seattle Fire Department (SFD) personnel a place to quarantine or isolate after learning of first responders who couldn’t self-quarantine at home because they lived with people who were at higher risk. In cities like New York, thousands of first responders had been diagnosed with COVID-19. Understanding that many City employees including Seattle City Light, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Public Utilities, and others are continuing to serve on the frontlines, this location is available to the City’s employees.
“The nurses and healthcare workers of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW selflessly put our patients first every day, but we all worry about exposing our own loved ones to COVID-19 at the end of our shifts,” said Jane Hopkins, RN, Executive Vice President, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. “It’s a very serious concern, and the ongoing lack of adequate protective personal protective equipment only makes it worse. Providing free hotel accommodations to healthcare workers gives our members some peace of mind so we can focus all our energy on fighting the novel coronavirus and serving our communities. We are so grateful that our elected leaders in Seattle are answering the call to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of frontline workers and our families,”
“Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s addition of hotel rooms for nurses and other frontline health care workers to those provided by King County give our concerned members another valuable option to feel safe that they are not bringing the coronavirus home to their families, especially those who live with family members in vulnerable categories. This has been an ongoing concern for our members throughout the COVID-19 crisis. We appreciate Mayor Durkan’s openness to working with us to arrive at this important solution to our members’ concerns,” said Sally Watkins, PhD, RN, Executive Director, Washington State Nurses Association.
The City of Seattle is partnering with SEIU 925, SEIU 1199NW, Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), and UFCW 21 to identify health care workers who need spaces to quarantine or isolate. Because resources are limited, the unions will identify which workers can use the hotel rooms. Health care workers are able to stay at the Executive Pacific Hotel if they meet one of the following criteria:
- A healthy worker who cannot stay at home to avoid further exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 positive household member;
- A healthy worker who lives with a high-risk person, and therefore cannot stay at home due to the risk of exposing them to COVID-19;
- An exposed worker who needs quarantine accommodations because they cannot self-quarantine at home; or
- A COVID-19 positive worker who is asymptomatic or has minor symptoms that do not require hospitalization but who cannot quarantine at home.
“I am so grateful to be able to stay at the hotel during this pandemic. I am exhausted after 12-hour shifts and I normally have a two-hour drive back home. I am self-quarantining from my family since I am working with positive COVID-19 patients every day in the Emergency Department at UWMC,” said Amanda Peters, Certified Medical Assistant and SEIU 925 member.
The Executive Pacific Hotel has created a set of protocols to protect guests and staff that include: distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to all housekeeping staff and requirement for PPE to be worn as well as training on PPE equipment for all staff; physical separation of two first responder groups (confirmed COVID-19 and unconfirmed but exposed) by housing on separate floors; public spaces cleaned regularly and immediately after any guest arrival; guest arrivals tightly coordinated to reduce possibility of guests interacting with each other; and coordinated meal delivery times to prevent direct guest interaction with hotel staff.
“We extend our most sincere gratitude to the ownership and employees at the Executive Pacific Hotel. We had an immediate need and they stepped up to help. It’s important that our brothers and sisters on the frontlines know they’re being taken care of. And, if they find themselves exposed to this virus and in need of help, they know the City has their back,” said Calvin W. Goings, Director of the Department of Finance and Administrative Services.
