BAKERSFIELD, CA - Officials at Kern Medical Center say an ebola drill was conducted Thursday for emergency staff at the hospital in east Bakersfield.
The California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems issued a letter to U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer last week regarding ebola preparedness. As part of that letter, the hospital has among other things:
•Implemented the screening tool provided by the CDC for patients with a history of travel to West Africa within the time frame and are symptomatic. When a patient has a positive screening for symptoms and travel they are immediately placed on droplet and contact isolation. KMC has the required personal protective equipment for isolation including power aired purifying respirators (PAPR) in the emergency deparment and throughout the hospital. The screening tool and memorandum with instructions have been distributed to appropriate staff in the emergency department, inpatient setting, and outpatient clinics.
•Signage has been placed at entrances to inpatient hospital services and outpatient clinics.
•KMC's laboratory has been provided instructions on specimen collection.
•In addition to the screening tool for inpatient and outpatient settings, Kern Medical Center is bundling appropriate personal protective equipment that is currently onsite for efficiency in isolating suspected patients. The materials management department is also ordering an additional 96 hours supply of appropriate personal protective equipment.
•At this point in time, if an ebola patient presented to the hospital, the organization's plan is to stabilize the patient and transfer to a hospital with a high tech isolation unit.
The California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems issued a letter to U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer last week regarding ebola preparedness. As part of that letter, the hospital has among other things:
•Implemented the screening tool provided by the CDC for patients with a history of travel to West Africa within the time frame and are symptomatic. When a patient has a positive screening for symptoms and travel they are immediately placed on droplet and contact isolation. KMC has the required personal protective equipment for isolation including power aired purifying respirators (PAPR) in the emergency deparment and throughout the hospital. The screening tool and memorandum with instructions have been distributed to appropriate staff in the emergency department, inpatient setting, and outpatient clinics.
•Signage has been placed at entrances to inpatient hospital services and outpatient clinics.
•KMC's laboratory has been provided instructions on specimen collection.
•In addition to the screening tool for inpatient and outpatient settings, Kern Medical Center is bundling appropriate personal protective equipment that is currently onsite for efficiency in isolating suspected patients. The materials management department is also ordering an additional 96 hours supply of appropriate personal protective equipment.
•At this point in time, if an ebola patient presented to the hospital, the organization's plan is to stabilize the patient and transfer to a hospital with a high tech isolation unit.