BANGOR, Maine — Eastern Maine Medical Center performed a preparedness drill Wednesday morning involving a scenario in which an individual pretended to have symptoms that included a fever and body aches after a recent trip to Liberia to care for patients with Ebola.
During the exercise, the actor was referred to EMMC for care. Multidisciplinary teams came together to walk through the steps, which included isolating the patient in a designated area and using precautions and processes recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for dealing with Ebola virus.
“Here at EMMC, we have a responsibility to support the health needs of our community,” Joel Farley, the hospital’s Facilities and Emergency Preparedness administrator, said. “Over the past few months, we have been preparing and training staff on CDC-recommended practices and protocols to ensure the safety of our patients, staff and visitors in case a patient with Ebola symptoms arrives at EMMC.”
In the event that a patient with suspected Ebola requires treatment at EMMC, specially trained staff would follow specific guidelines outlined by the CDC. Those employees would use the recommended guidelines to provide supportive care to the patient while protecting other patients, caregivers and other members of the team from potential infection.
Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood and body fluids, including the urine, feces and vomit of an infected person with symptoms, or through exposure to surfaces that have been contaminated with infected body fluids.
In order to be at risk for contracting Ebola, a person would need to have come in contact with body fluids and subsequently carry the wet particles to his or her eyes, nose or mouth.
EMMC regularly takes part in drills used to prepare staff for a real-world scenario in an effort to improve communications, processes and response times, hospital officials said.
Wednesday’s drill required a coordinated response from departments throughout the organization and planned for collaboration with other public agencies.
The drill was not the first time area health officials have conducted planning or training sessions for Ebola.
Last month, medical professionals and public officials from across Maine gathered at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor for their monthly Northeastern Maine Regional Healthcare Coalition meeting.
The topic for that meeting was Ebola virus planning. They discussed basic information about Ebola, the regional response plan, the behavioral health impact of the disease, how to care for patients and how to handle and transport laboratory specimens and waste.
Coordinated by the Northeastern Maine Regional Resource Center and hosted by Bangor Public Health and Community Services, the planning event brought together EMMC, Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems and St. Joseph Healthcare, as well as representatives from acute care hospitals, home health organizations, long-term care facilities, community health care clinics, schools and emergency medical services from Aroostook, Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Washington, Knox, Waldo and Somerset counties.
For information about how to remain safe from infection, visit the EMHS Infection Prevention portal at emhs.org and the CDC website at cdc.gov.