In light of recent cases of Ebola in the United States, Riverwood Healthcare Center’s Safety Program began monitoring Ebola policies and procedures that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have recommended for health care facilities in early August.
Michelle Farber, Board Certified Infection Preventionist for Riverwood, developed an intranet Ebola Resource center to keep staff members updated about Ebola for the past two months, including leading the development of an Emerging Infectious Disease Ebola response policy approved in mid-October. Farber brings 31 years of experience to managing infection control in health care facilities, including at Regions Hospital in St. Paul and at Mercy Medical Center in Coon Rapids, Minn. She has served in leadership roles with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, including as president, treasurer and membership director.
Ebola preparations for Riverwood include collaborating with the Minnesota Hospital Association and the Minnesota Department of Health as well as participating in conference calls with the CDC.
“Using the guidelines and procedures from the CDC and the two medical centers that have treated Ebola patients in the United States—Emory Medical Center and the University of Nebraska Medical Center—Riverwood has updated its infectious disease policies and procedures to include Ebola,” Farber explains. “We began screening patients in our emergency department on October 7, asking about travel in the last 21 days to Ebola affected areas and symptoms of this disease.”
During the last week in October and the first week in November, Riverwood emergency room nurses, charge nurses, house supervisors and physicians will be participating in on-site training sessions on Ebola infection prevention and control. An emergency management drill is planned at Riverwood for the staff to practice and perfect their competency in responding to new policies and procedures of Personal Protective Equipment to treat patients with contagious infectious diseases. The drill will include the North Memorial ambulance team and Aitkin County Public Health.
“While it is highly unlikely we will see an Ebola patient here in Aitkin, we need to be prepared to protect the health and safety of our staff, patients and the community at large,” Farber adds. “We train our staff to be well prepared for dealing with any outbreak of infectious disease whether it’s an influenza virus or a newly emerging disease like Ebola. My role as an infection preventionist is to make sure everyone is doing the right things to keep everyone safe.”
In the event of an Ebola patient presenting at Riverwood’s hospital or clinic, special personal protective kits have been prepared for Riverwood staff to use. The staff will receive training in the next two weeks to practice the use of the equipment and assure they have the knowledge and skills on how to protect themselves from contagious diseases.
Ebola signs and symptoms
Symptoms of Ebola include a fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain and unexplained bleeding or bruising, according to the CDC. Ebola is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids from someone who has Ebola, or from exposure to contaminated objects like needles. The virus cannot be spread via air.
Symptoms may appear anywhere between 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola but the average is 8 to 10 days. Recovery from Ebola depends on the patient’s immune response. People who recover from Ebola infection develop antibodies for at least 10 years.
The Minnesota Department of Health has set up an information line for Minnesotans with Ebola questions at (651) 201-3920 or (800) 657-3903, staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.