Ketchikan Medical Center Prepares to Respond to Ebola; No Cases Reported
October 25, 2014
PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center
PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center said they are taking this situation very seriously. Their highest priority is to provide the best quality patient-care while ensuring the safety of caregivers. Ketchikan Medical Center is moving very quickly to review and adapt to CDC guidelines, even as those guidelines continue to change. What lessons have been learned so far from the Texas cases? It’s been widely reported in the media that there might have been lapses in personal protective equipment protocols at the Texas hospital where two caregivers contracted Ebola while treating a man with the virus. CDC recently issued new recommendations for healthcare workers involved in the care of an Ebola patient, and are now moving to impermeable, one-piece body covering that leaves no skin exposed. In addition, the CDC is asking each hospital to provide training in how to put on, use and take off the personal protective equipment. PeaceHealth leadership said they are continuing to work with the CDC as well as state and local health regulatory agencies to ensure we continue to stay on top of this situation. We are pleased to let you know that PeaceHealth had begun implementing the CDCs new standards, even before they were made public by the CDC. What’s the status? While Ebola is a uniquely challenging disease, it is important to remember that the United States is not experiencing an outbreak. There are no direct flights from West Africa to the Pacific Northwest – all travelers from West Africa must travel through an airport that has screening procedures in place. According to information provided by PeaceHealth, there are no reported cases of Ebola in Washington, Oregon, or Alaska. Meanwhile, information provided by PeaceHealth said each facility already has or is obtaining personal protective equipment that matches the CDC’s latest recommendations. Training and drills are already taking place in the appropriate departments, and more are scheduled, to ensure front-line caregivers are completely prepared to deal with an Ebola case. Ketchikan Medical Center said their highest priority is keeping patients safe while ensuring the safety of their caregivers. What is Ketchikan Medical Center doing to prepare? The list is extensive: • Formed a Planning Hospital Incident Command Team (HICS) and named Incident Commanders who are participating in CDC calls, Alaska State Epidemiology calls, ASHNHA calls, weekly Alaska DHSS Ebola Task Force calls, AK Hospital Coalition calls and KMC Management team meetings and is on-call as needed; • Meeting regularly with HICS members and the Alaska Health Department/Public Health counterparts in Ketchikan to ensure a coordinated response in the unlikely event a patient with Ebola presents at one of our facilities; • Ongoing education/information sharing with the Ketchikan Medical Center ER Department, Nurse Council, and admitting staff in all departments; • Updated electronic health records to prompt triage and intake personnel to ask patients’ travel history when they present for treatment, and created a paper-based process for those areas that do not have an electronic health record; • Posted screening posters at all facilities entrances and CDC approved posters in patient care areas to help remind patients and staff of important information; • Shared Ebola care information and best practices at a community meeting for our local healthcare partners; • Establishing isolation and ante rooms for any potentially high-risk patients and establishing appropriate waste management process; • Inventoried equipment and placing supplies order to meet the updated CDC guidelines; and • Shared CDCs Question and Answer resource on our KMC/PHMG: POW Facebook pages; and local preparedness information with local media contacts.
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