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Post by Browning35 on Oct 16, 2014 18:48:52 GMT
Unless hundreds and then thousands of people in the US start becoming infected I wouldn't worry too much about it too much in SC. Long ways away, lot of water under the bridge until then. Even here people are talking about it and it's a concern, but no one's freaking out yet. I guess we're not alone in thinking that the local response to the threat is somewhat of a joke though. /photo/1 |
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Post by omegaman on Oct 20, 2014 21:22:18 GMT
For the SC crew or anybody else interested, here is another email from SC DHEC regarding an open call-in ebola info conference call: This message is being forwarded to you at the request of the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control. Subject: IMPORTANT: New Call in Number for Thursday DHEC Ebola Conference Calls DHEC continues to conducting weekly conference calls to provide the latest information on the Ebola virus and to address questions and concerns from our planning partners and healthcare providers. Should the need arise, we will schedule more frequent conference calls. The phone number for the calls has been changed to allow for unlimited call-ins. Please note the NEW call-in information below. The calls will be held on Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. for one hour. The call-in information is: 1-888-289-4573 Participant code – 1952452 If you have any questions that you would like addressed by DHEC, please forward those questions to Phyllis Beasley, Office of Public Health Preparedness, ebola@dhec.sc.gov. We would like to receive your questions by 9:00 a.m. each Tuesday, so that our staff has time to gather any information needed for the response. However, if you are unable to submit your question by Tuesday morning, still submit the question to Ms. Beasley and we will attempt to provide an answer on the call. If we are not able to provide the answer on the call, we will send you the information as soon as possible. The links to the most recent CDC and DHEC information and resources are available on the DHEC website at: www.scdhec.gov/Health/FHPF/HealthAlertsNotifications/ebola/ If you have more immediate concerns, call the DHEC CARE Line at: 800-868-0404 Please contact Phyllis Beasley, Planning Manager, Office of Public Health Preparedness, Ebola@dhec.sc.gov if you have questions or concerns |
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Post by dannusmaximus on Oct 24, 2014 14:32:09 GMT
I work part-time in a local ER, and we all just completed mandatory ebola training. It went over proper donning and doffing of the different levels of PPE required depending on expected contact level with the patient, in-house procedures to use to screen and initially isolate/treat suspected ebola patients, etc. The training had been done piecemeal up to this point, this was the first 'formal' hands-on session that all ER staffers had to go through.
Of interest, each portion of the hospital seems to be developing their own procedures for their expected role in patient treatment. ICU has their own protocols, as does pediatrics, lab, etc. There is talk of getting some blood diagnostic equipment in the ER to do basic chemistry and quantitative work so we don't run the risk of contaminating the entire hospital lab with ebola blood in case there is an accident.
ALSO of note, I was frankly really surprised to hear that our policy is to simply send home any non-symptomatic people who might accompany a patient (even like a patient who is bleeding from the eyes), ask them to stay there, and then contact the local health department and CDC with their information. I just assumed that we would also keep those family and friends at the hospital in a separate area for further evaluation and easier tracking. Not so.
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Post by Browning35 on Oct 24, 2014 16:37:28 GMT
At the ED my wife works at their policy is to keep the patients family that have suffered an exposure and to also place them in isolation room and to call in the team in to deal with them as well. Their entire policy is to isolate and transfer, that's it. At least for the ER nurses and staff.
One other thing I thought was interesting is that if an ebola patient shows up at one of the hospitals that haven't been designated as an ebola care hospital (hospitals designated to handle an ebola patient in the DFW metroplex are Presby Dallas, Baylor Dallas and then Baylor Irving) their policy is for them to don PPE, place them in an isolation room and to then call in the team to have them transferred out. At each hospital designated to treat ebola patients they're set up to handle a maximum of two ebola patients. That's it. Two ebola patients per ebola center is the max. So if there's an actual outbreak here with dozens of people becoming infected the metroplex is set up to handle a maximum of 6 patients total.
The CDC would obviously have to step in and transfer everyone out to hospitals out of State the way they've done so far, but they aren't set up here to handle a widespread outbreak.
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At the ED my wife works at they went through all the ebola specific SOP's and PPE and she feels better about the whole thing. Would obviously feel better if they'd institute a travel ban to the West African countries where all these ebola patients are traveling from, but at least they now they're taking the whole thing seriously and there are SOP's to follow.
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Post by dannusmaximus on Oct 24, 2014 17:28:27 GMT
At the ED my wife works at their policy is to keep the patients family that have suffered an exposure and to also place them in isolation room and to call in the team in to deal with them as well. Their entire policy is to isolate and transfer, that's it. At least for the ER nurses and staff. That seems more...prudent. |
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Post by nxp on Oct 25, 2014 1:37:03 GMT
In our hospital we've been getting weekly updates for PPE, as well as new SOP procedures and setting up a "task force" of pre-approved/trained staff to deal with cases suspected of Ebola. We contain/isolate also.
The thing I found telling, in our 7 hospital network we had 42 nurses, 60+ support and ZERO PA/MD volunteered for the task force. What's that tell you....
In regards to PPE, I can't begin to tell you how many supervisors and managers we've had stopping in questioning their gear (which they've had for 3+ years now, and we've maintained above the manuf guidelines for filter/battery change intervals) questioning how to use it, how to tell if it's okay to use, and requesting maintenance history on it... They've had these toys for a while now as part of the Homeland Security funding, but they just stick them in containers and don't follow training guidelines for it.
It's sad, really.
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Post by redeyes on Oct 25, 2014 5:21:08 GMT
We have a informational posterboard. I am sure there is more going on, but at my level that is all I am currently aware of.
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