Barton prepped for Ebola patients
By Vicki McKenna
Barton Health is committed to the safety of our patients, visitors, staff, and physicians. After receiving several confirmed cases of the Ebola virus disease in the United States, Barton Health is prepared to care for and respond to suspected Ebola cases.
Though the Ebola virus has not reached California or Nevada and the risk is currently low, we take the threat very seriously. An Ebola virus disease workgroup comprised of Barton Health leaders and staff has been formed and we have developed an Ebola preparedness plan. By collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, El Dorado County Public Health, and other health agencies across the nation, Barton Health will be able to deliver the most up-to-date information and most effective action plan to combat the virus.
Barton Memorial Hospital currently follows the CDC’s recommendations for hospital infection control to safely manage and isolate a patient with Ebola or other highly infectious disease. Should it become necessary, Barton Health staff and physicians are prepared to care for possible Ebola patients and protect the community at large.
As described by a Centers for Disease Control official, the information about Ebola is changing “daily and rapidly.” To keep our patients, visitors, and community safe, Barton Health is taking actions should a suspected Ebola patient arrive. Actions include additional screening about travel history, isolation precautions and procedures, and ongoing education and training.
Travel history screening
As an additional precaution, patients who enter the Barton Health inpatient and outpatient offices will be asked about their travel history. If you or someone you know has traveled to a high-risk country in Africa within the last 21 days or has been exposed to someone who has, the second step is to monitor for Ebola’s signs and symptoms. Ebola resembles the flu and signs and symptoms may include a high fever, stomach ache, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, muscle aches, and unexplained bleeding. Ebola can only be spread by an infected patient if signs and symptoms are present.
Isolation precautions and procedures
For suspected Ebola patients, Barton Health has prepared isolation rooms and procedures to protect Barton Health patients, visitors, staff, and physicians. In addition, appropriate protective equipment and disposal methods are in place.
Education and training
Barton’s Emergency Management Services has implemented practice drills and walk-throughs to prepare for a real case scenario, should it arise. Ongoing education and training is also being conducted for clinical and non-clinical staff.
We encourage all members of the community to stay informed. Visit the Centers for Disease Control website for an Ebola checklist and the most updated information.
Vicki McKenna is an infection preventionist with Barton Health.
The media and politicians have convinced you all Ebola is a threat. It is not.
Ebola-ghazi! The repubs love to feign righteous indignation, after having CUT CDC’s discretionary funding by $500+ million since 2006 causing a loss of around 40,000 jobs.
And the Dems can’t/won’t call them on it.
Disgusting all the way around.
Please Clarify since the news reports reflect of US hospitals that can take ebola patients as such: “four hospitals can accommodate just 8-13 patients, said Phil Smith, medical director of the biocontainment unit at Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, which has treated a U.S. missionary and is treating a television news cameraman, both of whom contracted the virus in West Africa. He said Nebraska has 1-2 Ebola beds, Emory 2 beds, St. Patrick Hospital in Montana 1-2 beds and the National Institutes of Health in Maryland 4-7 beds. ‘But I don’t know if they (NIH) have the staffing,’ he said.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/14/us-hospitals-prepare-for-ebola/17221077/
Thank You,
HC
As simple as anything is, like travel bans that right now stand at thirty nations that don’t allow people from the three outbreak countries in, requires sane people and that is not what is leading this country in any way. Part of this is the no enforcement of immigration laws and Visas granted and expired with no tracking and then there is the walk or swim in open borders where people from all areas come in. This is the biggest threat to people in this country now and more inaction will do nothing but cause more danger. Right now hundreds are in some sort of “quarantine” which appears to be not seriously monitored and now it is reported one person went on a cruise ship after treating the guy who lied and illegally entered this country which, if this really spreads elsewhere, will cause many more to do the same. As stated by General Kelly, USMC Southern Command, the open Southern Border is his biggest concern of a threat of an epidemic walking in. His public statements should be given full attention before he is suddenly “transferred” or retired by this incompetent at all levels gang in DC.
Justice I heard a great analogy for travel bans and its effect (our lack of) in stopping Ebola. I’m paraphrasing, but it went something like this:
Placing travel bans is the equivalent to placing a towel under the door to keep out a fire that is burning on the outside of a building.
All the while this stinking president is doing, nothing about securing us. Our borders should be closed to anyone who knowingly goes there and tries to return. They should be told when purchasing travel tickets that they will NOT be able to return.
To “Hmmmmm”-
Your info is obviously in error and sad to see you make this a political mess. It is incompetance at the highest level!! Please check where the CDC CHOSE to spend our tax dollars and quit trying to deflect incompetance on so many issues! http://freebeacon.com/issues/39643352-worth-of-nih-funding-that-could-have-gone-to-the-ebola-vaccine/
Another fact of the incompetance is the latest appointment Gore’s Assistant?? http://www.wnd.com/2014/10/obama-ebola-czar-zero-medical-experience/
THE “UNQUALIFIED”, APPOINTING MORE UNQUALIFIED’S TO PROMOTE AN AGENDA AND GRANTS POLITICAL FAVORS ~~~ THAT DOESN’T HELP THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ~~~~ IT LEADS TO MORE DISASTERS. “NEVER LET A CRISIS GO TO WASTE!!!” ~~ RAHM EMMANUEL
Bigger: Soooo, we just remove the towel and encourage the fire to get in sooner? When you contract this disease you will be fine with your president leaving the country doors wide open as usual?
AC and justice, your fear mongering is just like the script from foxknowsnothing. Maybe you should all throw in your hats and run for president of this poor doomed country because it is obviously a job any redneck can do as you pick apart the job that has been done by those elected to do the job. But maybe you all would do better at building the big ol wall you want to put up between the USA and the rest of the world. Yup, there is a real job intensive opportunity, but our conservative business climate would probably outsource the job to china or mexico cuz us entitled americans wont work for rice or beans and without any kind of meaningful benefits like cigarette breaks, clean toilets to c$£p in, and a few extra days off to go kill innocent critters (hunting in redneck speak). Yup, you guys would do a much better job at running this country. Ill be looking for your names on the ballot. NOT!
@Marlene-I did look…and they HAVE spent money on a lot of bs stuff. Didn’t necessarily mean to deflect blame for incompetence-and there has been plenty of it…did mean to point out hypocrisy of Repubs for ‘pretending to be outraged’.
Sanity is protecting lives by any means required in the country as thirty other countries, and growing, are doing. What this points out is this is the first either totally incompetent and/or anti-American President in history and the effects are devastating and spreading. Why people didn’t even want to know his history and where he was raised and what his beliefs were and where he might be from is the unanswered question of this century that no liberal can answer honestly. Even his own Grandmother said he was born in Kenya. Facts don’t seem to matter, only that he was a liberal and now a lying lawyer is all he was. He could deliver a speech and loudly proclaim intentions of “what we all must do” which was just invented nothing-ness and empty slogan speeches. Running the country competently was never going to happen and it is so obvious around the world this incompetent golfing vacationing and country abusing gang need to be shown the door if not criminally indicted before then.
Ohhhh justice, judge and jury
I think your place in isis has been assured, need a one way ticket?
Your blabbering is a sign that your mental health isnt the problem any more, you are now a threat to everyone. Im more leary of you than I am of ebola. The local authorities need to be checking on the status of your concealed weapons and whether you are on meds (and if not you should be).
GO:
You would rather eat chemically fed, unnatural, fat cows, pigs, chickens, eggs, etc. Your hypocrisy has no limits. You’re OK with the killing of “innocent” cows, etc to feed you is ok as long as you don’t see how it is done. Then pump your body with all the crap fed to them. You have no credible opinion. Go back to Raley’s and find some cow on sale.
If you can’t see the need to stop the illegal invasion promoted by Gov. Moonbutt,and your president, then you deserve every damn tax that you voted for. Don’t you get it?!?! We can’t afford all these people.
Here’s an idea…..why don’t you step up, put your money where your Flapping Gums are and house a dozen or so in your home??? ………..Yes, that’s what I thought. Typical.
Every empty-headed liberal has the same response, that is name calling and no response. They can’t even support their own actions or votes with any semblance of sanity or intelligence and people wonder why this country is off the rails and being led by a comic book clown who will not protect the country or close air space to an epidemic with a 70% death rate.
Justice is crying about “name calling?!” LOL! Your ignorant rants have been exposed on these threads.
We have or are dealing with AIDS, Hantavirus, Rabies, Smallpox, Dengue and Influenza. The question should be why this Virus has been left to fester in Africa since 1976, but I suspect we all understand that answer.
You’re just sad another loser Con artist hasn’t lied us into another Sunni v Shiite civil War that costs us 5,000 killed, 50,000 wounded and $1.3 Trillion dollars then dresses up in a flight suit and declares “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!” And I say THANK GOODNESS we have the President we have now that warned everyone over in 2002 that the “Iraq was a dumb war.”
Oh and this is exactly what Colin Powell (the guy that worked for Bush) said about the Iraq War before it started in 2002…
“What I did say … [is that] once you break it, you are going to own it, and we’re going to be responsible for 26 million people standing there looking at us. And it’s going to suck up a good 40 to 50 percent of the Army for years. And it’s going to take all the oxygen out of the political environment
Gosh, we could sure use that $1.3 Billion back about now.
Most of the above comment is the usual LTN (not your fault Kae) political bashing, anti government drivel and uninformed opinion.
To deal with the Barton article, I am not sure what it was intended to indicate.
It does say that they have discussed what if scenarios and have prepared to the best of their ability to isolate a suspected Ebola carrier.
Good on them. It is unlikely to be needed, but some preparedness is in place.
I hope that discussions have been held and procedures adopted with the ambulance services, police, fire departments and any other transportation entities that might encounter an Ebola victim before Barton sees them.
It is plain now that there are holes and uncertainties in the system, that have lead to more than one for one additional infections among the very people that should have known the dangers and how to handle them.
The Tahoe agencies do not have a very good record in playing well together. I hope they do better in the future, and perhaps the Ebola scare can cause that to happen.
Check that previous post. $1.3 Trillion back.
There are an estimated several hundred people from the three countries with the outbreak entering this country on a daily basis, as this virus rapidly mutates and transmits in these countries these numbers will explode as they try to escape. By the end of the year the death toll is estimated to potentially be over a million. As this points out, allowing the entering of people into this country is certain to bring in other infected people. Criminal negligence is in this case an undisputable fact by allowing an epidemic to enter. 19 times in the past this country has suspended travel from infected countries from various outbreaks. This wasn’t with anything approaching a 70% fatality rate from a quickly mutating virus that is changing so fast that how it transmits may change to airborne.
We don’t have a Surgeon General that would be our main medical “czar” because of the stupidity of teabag idiots in Congress that have blocked any nominations by President Obama. The reason his choice was rejected was because the nominee said that the enormous amount of gun violence and death in our country poses a public health issue for our citizens. The NRA didn’t like that so… 2 people have died from this virus and foxbots are freaking out, over 10,000 dead from gun violence last year and not a peep. http://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2014/10/14after-smearing-surgeon-general-nominee-fox-wond/201147
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/15/opinion/frank-bruni-scarier-than-ebola.html
Gun violence, like in Chicago, is a crime-felon problem with soft on crime liberals there is no control of felons, career criminals early released, stolen street guns everywhere and a broken judicial system that will not lock up criminals, there isn’t a problem with law abiding gun owners or the NRA, there is a huge revolving door career criminal problem liberals will not address. This isn’t even comparable to a virus that will not discriminate who it kills versus high crime inner-city gun violence ignored by liberals who are soft on crime and are in charge of these cities. The threats are not even close or comparable. The answer to violent crime is to lock up
criminals with guns who commit crime and give long sentences like life without parole.
Justice we already have the highest rate per capita for incarceration on the planet.
And your fix all answer to all our nation’s woes is to incarcerate even more? And this is your response to the Ebola issue?
You need to get a job and ween yourself off the Rush Limbaugh/Fox News Kool-Aid!
Level; you are forgetting the 33% of illegals in custody which account for the high rate and open borders that account for crime as well. Secure borders, deport criminal aliens and have strict sentences for gun violence, federal three strikes has been needed for years. You need drug testing if you really are this ignorant.
Really, if anyone knows who this justice whack job is they would be doing everyone a favor by contacting mental health, this nutcase is a sneeze away from ending his sorry life or that of an innocent person. His insanity is oozing out and his cries for help are breaking glass.
Justice I am glad you are consistent in operating in an evidence free zone. First and foremost, Ebola is not mutating in Africa as you suggest. Its mode of transmission has not changed over the last several years. It is a difficult virus to catch and an easy virus to kill when out of the body (simple bleach solution does the trick). You get it only from direct contact with body fluids like vomit, diarrhea, blood, etc. It is not transmitted airborne. There are 5 strains or subspecies in West Africa yet only one strain has been detected in the 3 individuals (Duncan who traveled in, and the two nurses whom contracted it here) in the U.S. Even with the several missteps of the private institution (the hospital), this outbreak appears to have been contained, and the two nursers are getting top-notch treatment and at the moment doing well. Ebola patients in West African have a mortality rate of 40 to 80% depending on the strain they have. Patients who are treated earlier and aggressively have an excellent prognosis. Even with the errors of private industry, it appears this will be stopped very quickly – as experts have all said was the case in the U.S.
The million cases of Ebola in West Africa you mention needs to be placed in context, which either you are completely unaware of or are purposely duplicitous. The researchers from the CDC whose model runs suggested this number was based on a continued transmission rate with no additional efforts to stem the outbreak (the do nothing scenario). They did not consider this a realistic scenario, but felt the hypothetical outputs were illustrative of why it was important to accelerate efforts in West Africa to stem the outbreak. Guess what, the U.S. is the major player in assisting in controlling this outbreak and good for us. Some other nations are now starting to contribute, but we once again show the world we can be leaders on issues such as this.
Lastly, travel bans are proposed by politicians who believe is advocating simple solutions to make it look like they are doing something, even if the something is likely to make matters worse. In other words, assume your constituents are not sophisticated on these matters Please see: http://www.vox.com/2014/10/13/6964633/travel-ban-airport-screening-ebola-outbreak-virus
Rick
Isn’t it interesting how conservatives continually SCREAM for less government, yet they seem to continually advocate, by virtue of spam like criticism of Obama policies, for his administration to implement MORE government on a myriad of issues.
Rick; I am paying attention to the WHO which is not Obama-Obola influenced and therefore not political which taints the discussion like at the CDC. The virus is mutating fast and transmission can change at any time as hundreds of doctors are now dead at the source and the ability to contain it is slipping away. Travel bans which this country has enacted nineteen times before is one effective way to contain infected people. These type of viruses are dangerous and more so if spread to other continents.
Rick, thank you for your rational response to a very irrational troll. I dont have the patience to that kind of irrational rant. You explained the situation quite well and I learned something too. :)
Go Figure needs a mental health evaluation apparently when his ideas which are false are destroyed by facts. How pathetic and desperate.
Justice, sorry for not being more clear in my post. All viruses mutate at different rates. But the Ebola virus has not mutated in anyway that changes its mode of transmission. There is absolutely no evidence that it has been transmitted in any other way then through direct contact with bodily fluids. Containing it in West Africa is the most important way of containing the virus and keeping it from findings its way into the U.S. There have been nearly 30 outbreaks of Ebola since 1976, this last outbreak being the most serious; and not because the disease is more virulent, but because of not enough resources thrown at it early and quickly, plus the unique culture in this area where citizens distrust the government and science (sound familiar)resulting in affected patients dying at home infected others and then they have burial practices where they all touch and handle the body.
The U.S. is a major player now (more than any other country) in trying to contain this disease. The best way to keep it out of our Country.
Do you troll this much over the 600,000 Americans die each year from heart disease, or the 32,000 Americans that die from guns each year (many from accidents)? I think not. But trollers and those less familiar with the science of infectious disease put unrealistic fears on an outbreak in this Country.
Because we do something does not make it effective – that is crazy thinking. The wall on our border is a good case in point. It makes people feel better, but is ineffective.
Rick
Oh, and btw Justice, if you are only paying attention to the experts at the WHO, then you should also be advocating against a travel ban, but you are famous for cherry picking your facts.
Rick
Rick; you are incorrect as about 70% of people in the country want an immediate travel ban. This has also been done nineteen times before, so it is what we do in a case like this. Why not do it? Thirty countries are now. I believe the virus is mutating quickly and spreading faster then anyone knows. There are a number of people warning about the mutation and spread changing from contact and fluids. There are no known cures and all there is now is containment until the vaccines are proven. Common sense is paramount.
Justice, I did not offer an opinion on what most people want, I noted virtually all experts do not want a travel ban. Of course the general public has fears, some concern is not misplaced, but being overly concerned and feeling an outbreak is eminent is not supported by evidence.
So let’s see, when I herniated a disc in my back 2 years ago, I should not have gone to a back expert but polled the public. Hmm, he advocated no surgery and a few months later I was fully healed with no side affects – silly me for relying on medical experts and not my postman.
The Nature Article you are referring to noted there was no evidence that the mutations (which is standard for viruses all do it) the virus is going through has not caused any difference in speed of transmission or difference in mode of transmission. No medical expert on infectious diseases are warning the virus is acting differently, but I will agree a number of not so smart talking heads are.
Because a country implements a travel ban does not mean it is correct. As my mother use to say, if your friends jump of a bridge are you going to.
I rely on the opinion of the vast majority of experts – not the uniformed public.
Rick
Let’s evaluate the following statement for irony:
‘______ needs a mental health evaluation apparently when his ideas which are false are destroyed by facts. How pathetic and desperate.’
‘. I believe the virus is mutating quickly and spreading faster then anyone knows.’
Use some facts to validate that statement.
‘There are a number of people warning about the mutation and spread changing from contact and fluids.
Who are they. Citations please.
‘Common sense is paramount.’
That might be a double down on irony.
‘ I am paying attention to the WHO’
Wouldn’t it be hilarious if they didn’t back up what you say.
Rick, though a travel ban is not the best option, it may calm the idiots out there with their unreasonable fears. when these fears which are inflamed by the media for the benefits of their ratings start to affect the stock exchanges it goes to show how ridiculous these unreasonable fears are, come on people keeping your kids out of school. worried about catching it on a plane? really how often do people come in to contact with strangers bodily fluids, never.
I hate to say reloman, but you may have a point. Doing the wrong thing so people calm down may have some value – I just hope it will not be at the expense of actually solving the problem as most of the experts are concerned with. The ultimate solution is to dump a lot of money in West Africa and end the outbreak there.
Rick
There is a devastating pandemic underway currently in several West African countries. The only acceptable medical protocol for anyone who contracts this deadly disease is immediate and very aggressive quarantine. The only time tested method of containing an outbreak of such a fast moving contagion is to… CONTAIN THE OUTBREAK!!! Common sense would dictate that we take the same action that 22 other African countries have taken which is to impose a TRAVEL BAN/QUARANTINE on people from the “hot zone”. Another option would be to allow continued travel from only those people who have undergone a full 21 day solitary quarantine in Africa and are free of any Ebola virus as shown by blood test. For Obama and his entire clown car full of hapless bureaucratic idiots to not enact such a travel ban is such a gross dereliction of their primary duty to protect this nation that it is an impeachable offense (just one of several). He will eventually be forced into enacting this measure, continuing to stall for the sake of appearing politically correct is sheer insanity. This should have been done in March.
Obama has famously said, “Ebola is really hard to catch”. Unless, of course, you are a trained medical professional with booties, a hooded HAZMAT suit, respirator and goggles, and are hosed down in a sterilizing chlorine bath – THEN you can catch it fairly easily.
When questioned about the selection of Democrat hack and lobbyist, Ron Klain as “Ebola Czar” WH spokesman Josh Earnest said, “We weren’t looking for anyone with experience with Ebola”. Seriously, can’t make this stuff up.
God save us from the Obamarrhoids.
Justice & Ralph. Again. We have a “Czar” position now… it is called the Surgeon General… which the GOP Cons Artists will not Confirm.
You scream that you want the Gubment to do something about Ebola but ignore a simply Private Industry solution. If you want a full African Continental quarantine, then simply have the Airlines, Cruise Lines and Shipping Line companies stop all traffic to/from Africa voluntarily. I am sure they would gladly give up the business and the Gubment would not even have to be involved.
Again. We blew $1.3 Trillion in Iraq and that $1.3 Trillion could have cured a lot of these diseases, including Ebola.
Rock,
If you do your homework you may discover that the only person blocking the Surgeon General designate Murthy is Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D) NV, who has steadfastly refused to allow a vote on his confirmation. Why? Because Democrat Senatorial candidates have begged him not to make them take a vote on such an obviously controversial candidate just prior to an election. You are blaming the wrong party. Even though Democrats hold the majority in the Senate (for now) Reid will not allow a vote on their own nominee. But you seem to think it’s the minority Senate Republicans (who have no power to defeat Murthy) who are at fault?
Several air carriers have already discontinued service to west Africa, Air France and British Airways being just two of them. Look for many more, if not all, to follow suit soon. All it will take is for one airline employee to contract the deadly virus and all commercial air transport to the “hot zone” will cease, perhaps that’s what Obama is waiting for so he won’t have to appear to be discriminating against his ancestral home continent.
RC, do your homework.
Rand Paul blocked the nomination.
Ralph. “Homework” says GOP blocks Surgeon General for more then a year because the NRA does not like Dr. Vivek Murthy stance on weapons and health issues ie weapons kill people. And Yes it is called a “hold” in the Senate procedures and the hold was placed on Dr Murthy’s nomination by AynRand Paul.
The travel, cruise and shipping industries could have cancelled all travel months ago, but I suspect they are more worried about quarterly profits then Ebola.
Justice has been watching to many re-runs of Outbreak.
It is true that Rand Paul did place a hold on Murthy, but apparently so did someone else… in the WH! Orders which found their way down to Harry Reid.
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/white-house-sought-hold-surgeon-general-nominee-senate-dems-blog-entry-1.1733414
Ralph. Yes, we finally agree, AynRand Paul put the hold on the Surgeon General nomination. Oh, and Air France had a “scare” in Madrid a few days ago because of three suspected Ebola infected passengers from Sierra Leone. Tests proved negative, if you are interested. Sierra Leone is in West Africa.
More Facts:
Ebola was first identified in 1976.
The Movie Outbreak was based on Ebola and was released in 1995.
About 50,000 Americans will become infected with HIV in 2014. About 24,000 Americans will die from the Flu in 2014.
The National Institute of Health HAD a budget of $30.5 Billion in 2009 and was cut to $29.3 Billion in 2013.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases HAD a budget of $4.7 Billion in 2009 and was cut to $4.3 Billion in 2013.
Research budget on an Ebola Vaccine at the National Institute of Health was $37 Million in 2010 but it was $18 Million in 2014 thanks to budget cuts. Also, 14 Ebola related grants were shut down.
A comprehensive analysis of the total economic costs for the Iraq War at Brown University says the War will cost Americans at least $2.2 Trillion and it could cost as much as $3.9 Trillion by 2053 because of the interest costs of borrowed money.
Simple question, Rock. Why would you not do everything possible to protect our nation by simply keeping a highly contagious, deadly pathogen OUT?