Regions Hospital 'Prepared' To Respond To Ebola Threat
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The threat of Ebola in the United States has hospitals in the Twin Cities making sure they're prepared for a potential case here.
Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn. began making an Ebola plan right after they heard about the outbreak in West Africa this summer.
They want to make sure all hospital staff are ready in case Ebola comes here.
"The first thing we worked on is identifying that patient as quickly as possible," Dr. Greg Siwek said.
Siwek is the director of infectious control at Regions.
Regions began having Ebola meetings right after the outbreak began in West Africa, and they've developed what they think is a solid plan.
Hospital staff have put together what are called Ebola carts. They are carts with all the safety equipment doctors and nurses would need to deal with an Ebola patient.
Within minutes, they could also block off a part of the E.R. so other patients wouldn't be exposed.
"We have an entrance right here, so that if a patient came from an ambulance they could come right in this entrance and directly into an isolation room," Siwek said.
Two months ago Regions did a simulated Ebola case to see how staff would respond.
"It was a good learning process for us to see what things we could still improve on. And see where we are at with our preparation," Siwek said.
It's a plan they hope they never have to use.
But if they do, Siwek believes they're well-prepared.
"We have the physicians who know how to take care of those individuals. We have the right type of supportive treatments that could both keep that patient safe and also protect the health care providers working with them," Siwek said.
If a patient is confirmed to have Ebola, Regions would work closely with state and federal authorities to find anyone else who had come into direct contact with the patient.
