Nov. 15--Working under the pretend scenarios that an Elmhurst College student and then a housekeeper were exhibiting symptoms of Ebola, staff at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital and local fire departments practiced their response Friday.
The exercises took place at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital where some staff suited up in the same masks and other protective gear they would wear if a real case of Ebola ever presents itself at the hospital.
"We're practicing a case where someone would go through this hospital and then we'd transfer them," said Andrea White, EMS coordinator at the hospital. "We need to have practice."
Any patient who would come to Elmhurst hospital with Ebola would be stabilized and then taken to Chicago's Rush University Medical Center, which is designated as a regional Ebola treatment center.
The scenarios involved a college student who was suffering from a fever, diarrhea and other Ebola symptoms after returning from a mission trip to Africa. Her roommate called an ambulance when the student became sick. In the other practice case, a housekeeper from the college showed up in the emergency room complaining of feeling ill.
As part of the exercise the hospital designated an entrance to the emergency room as the only one that would be used by the suspected Ebola patient. They wheeled the patients on stretchers to special negative air pressure rooms that are used in hospitals to prevent cross contamination between rooms.
Security personnel were designated to keep visitors from entering areas where the patients were being treated and hospital workers taped plastic over doorways, hallways and other entry points.
"We put up the plastic film to keep the areas as clean as possible," White said.
The staff taking part in the exercise also practiced removing protective clothing without getting contaminated themselves.
"As you know, with Ebola, the hospital is expected to be prepared and should be prepared," said Daniel Sullivan, chief medical officer. "It's a process that's got to work -- with all its moving parts."
He said the hospital has been in contact the Centers for Disease Control and other agencies to develop protocols. In addition to those carrying out the exercise, the hospital deployed some staff to an Incident Command Center in a separate area of the hospital where they, as staff would in real life, oversaw the hospital's response to an Ebola patient.
Sullivan said the exercises are a learning opportunity for the hospital.
"We're going to debrief and break down and find out where there were errors if there were," he said.
Tim Lisowski, battalion chief for the Elmhurst Fire Department, said the simulations were helpful.
"We were able to work the bugs," he said. "It was good to work with Elmhurst Hospital and DuComm to iron everything out."
While it is hoped that the protocols against the deadly virus never have to be used in real life, Lisowski said participating in the training exercises inspires confidence in his department's ability to respond.
"If we get a real case we're ready," he said.
