LKMC says it’s up to date in disease preparation
KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER
After mistakes at a Texas hospital raised the specter of an Ebola outbreak in the United States, a local Key West hospital says it is training nurses and staff to handle possible cases of the deadly virus.
“Hospitals continually work to ensure they are prepared for all types of infectious diseases, including Ebola,” said Randy Detrick, spokesman for the Lower Keys Medical Center. “Our hospital has been educating its team of healthcare workers on how to prepare for Ebola, just as it does for other types of infectious diseases.”
Konk Life sent Detrick a series of questions to determine if the hospital has the proper equipment and specialists in place to test people with possible Ebola symptoms. For instance, the Florida Health Department protocols require hospitals taking blood to engage an epidemiologist; requires the test sample to be stored in a Class 2 Biological Safety Cabinet or better; and requires the signature of an Infection Control Practitioner (or equivalent) to approve the triple-seal packaging of test samples bound for the Miami lab designated to test the samples.
This week, Detrick addressed general issues, such as medical staff training and whether the hospital has the proper gowns, gloves, masks, and eyewear–known as personal protective equipment–to protect Lower Keys Medical Center staff members. The staff already has received training in infectious diseases generally, he said.
“Our hospital has been educating its team of healthcare workers on how to prepare for Ebola, just as it does for other types of infectious diseases,” Detrick wrote Konk Life in an email.
The hospital will isolate the patient and limit who enters that room, he said.
“If a patient has symptoms or risk factors, we are prepared to follow infection control protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, beginning with placing the patient in isolation,” Detrick said. “Medical personnel who enter the room would be protected with recommended personal protective equipment and nonessential staff and visitors would be restricted from entering. We would contact local and state health departments and the CDC and continue to follow their guidance.”
The state health department also requires hospital staff to question patients displaying fever or other symptom and indicate on a form the level of a patient’s risk of having Ebola — whether the patient has been in West Africa and other questions.
“We are using the screening guidelines for symptoms and risk factors and a response plan to protect patients and our staff,” Detrick said. “The care of our patients and the safety of our staff is our highest priority.”
Other Florida hospitals are purchasing gear and preparing for possible cases.
Orlando Health, a hospital chain in Central Florida, has designated specific doctors and staff to respond to possible cases in its hospitals.
Dr. Michael Crespo, infectious disease specialist with Orlando Health, told news outlets that the hospital group has a written Ebola management plan, which it updates whenever the CDC and state health department updates their protocols. The hospital group also bought 600 protective suits and will use the buddy system to ensure the gear is put on, and removed, correctly.
Hospitals around the country are examining their preparedness after two nurses treating an Ebola patient at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas became infected.
The American Nurses Association — as well as nurses at the Dallas hospital — complains that the CDC’s Ebola guidelines are unclear, but the Dallas hospital apparently failed to follow even basic precautions. According to the Dallas nurses, hospital staff sent the patient home, even though he had a high fever and was vomiting. Staff also piled soiled bed linen, gowns, and other items from the patient’s care in an unprotected pile.
The CDC wasn’t blameless, however.
The CDC gave an infected nurse permission to take a commercial flight — after she told the CDC official that she had a fever.
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I hope LKMC is taking better precautions against Ebola as they they did against the security breach that allowed my personal information to be stolen from them. Perhaps they might offer you a complimentary casket instead of free credit monitoring.