Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1293502
41 NURSING SPOTLIGHT 'It's an insult': Nurses from South, West say many there doubt COVID-19 threat By Mackenzie Bean S ome nurses who volunteered to treat COVID-19 patients in New York City are returning to friends and family in the South and West who doubt the virus is real or underestimate the pandemic's severity, reported The New York Times. The publication spoke with several nurses from Texas, Arizona and North Carolina who shared stories of family members ignoring their advice to avoid large gather- ings or friends downplaying the severity of the virus. The skepticism is often jarring for nurses who saw firsthand the devastation the virus caused in New York City hospitals. "When someone tells me that they don't believe the virus is real, it's an insult. I take it personally," Olumide Peter Kolade, a nurse from California who spent more than three months treating COVID-19 patients in New York, told the Times. Mr. Kolade grew up in Texas and said sev- eral friends have sent him videos promoting conspiracy theories about the virus. Tamara Williams, a Dallas-based nurse, also volunteered in New York City. Since returning home, she's run into several acquaintances who said COVID-19 was no more serious than the flu. She's removed 50 to 100 friends on Facebook who were sharing false information about the pandemic. "It's infuriating," she told the Times. "Unless you've seen it with your own eyes, it is very easy to believe it is not that bad." n CRNA salary by state — Wyoming is No. 1 at $243,31 By Kelly Gooch T he average salary for certified regis- tered nurse anesthetists in the U.S. is $181,040, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics survey in May 2019, the most recent data available. CRNAs have the highest annual salary in Wyoming and the lowest in Arizona. e BLS did not provide data for Alaska, Nevada, Rhode Island or Delaware. Here is the average annual salary for CRNAs by state, in descending order. Wyoming: $243,310 Montana: $239,380 Oregon: $234,750 Wisconsin: $233,600 California: $227,290 Iowa: $202,400 Massachusetts: $201,890 New York: $200,350 Illinois: $199,660 Connecticut: $198,750 Hawaii: $198,330 New Hampshire: $196,000 North Dakota: $195,010 Michigan: $194,640 New Jersey: $193,900 Washington: $192,440 Minnesota: $192,290 South Dakota: $190,880 North Carolina: $189,060 Maine: $188,840 West Virginia: $188,580 Maryland: $186,310 Ohio: $184,380 Arkansas: $182,960 Virginia: $180,120 Nebraska: $179,450 Mississippi: $177,820 Colorado: $175,100 Oklahoma: $175,090 Georgia: $174,310 Pennsylvania: $174,240 Kentucky: $167,400 Texas: $167,020 South Carolina: $165,940 Indiana: $165,770 New Mexico: $162,320 Kansas: $162,010 Missouri: $161,420 Florida: $160,030 Louisiana: $158,500 Alabama: $157,430 Tennessee: $157,070 Idaho: $150,670 Utah: $146,470 Arizona: $144,530