Mock Ebola Drill Keeps UH SJMC Ready for Community Emergency

Emergency Dept. nurse Lindsey Gillespie
demonstrates protective gear safety at the Ebola
Readiness Drill at UH St. John Medical Center
held Jan. 31

Readiness in the event of a community health crisis is one of the roles that keeps University Hospitals St. John Medical Center at the forefront of regional healthcare.

UH SJMC held an Ebola Readiness Drill two weeks ago on best practices in the event of an infectious disease outbreak in the community.

Marcia Foley, RN, Infectious Disease Preventionist at the hospital, explained that the drill trains medical staff to respond effectively to everything from identifying possible Ebola patients to safely removing protective gear without posing a danger to anyone.

Marcia Foley, RN, discusses the goals of the UH SJMC Ebola Readiness Drill held Jan. 31 (above).

The drill started with a mock patient who came to the hospital’s Emergency Dept. the morning of Jan. 31. The patient’s mock history indicated that she had returned from an area of the world that is known to have Ebola.

What followed was a comprehensive series of responses by various hospital units to the scenario.

: Paul Forthofer, UH SJMC Community Outreach, calls county health care agencies while Matt Sheehan, EMS Coordinator, looks on.

: Marcia Foley, RN, Infection Prevention Specialist, coordinates staff at UH SJMC’s Ebola Readiness Drill.

“Sometimes the symptoms are very vague, common symptoms that you would think now as the influenza situation, headache lethargy.” said Foley of the Ebola Strikes Back drill.

The drill included personnel preparation, infectious disease testing, communication with regional health agencies, and public communication.

“We will be evaluating our response,” she said. “At the very end, we will be critiquing what needs to be improved and what was right on target.”