we're joined by doctor Doug Salvador the vice president for medical affairs and
health care quality at Baystate Medical Center and you also have
a background in infectious diseases as well thank you for joining us
thank you so I'd like to talk first about about the state's designation by
the Department of Health as one of the
61 hospitals in the state to take care of people
who would have abolished so how does that make you different that another
hospital who is also preparing as well
all Bay State Medical Center has a green
in collaboration with the Department public health and then mass Hospital
Association to be one of six hospitals
on in the state the only one in western Massachusetts
to be receiving hospital for patient with suspected ebola
for testing and treatment or with
with confirm people and how I'm how involved
is the training process for the staff at the hospital I'm assuming it's it's
pretty great
India's Tom we've taken a very systematic and
and careful approach to it we have a simulation center
that we used to train lots and lots of our
residents and nurses and doctors and we've basically
taken the simulation center over to do this training were requiring
three to four hours per nurse and physician
on small group and we've been doing this training daily now
after a couple weeks to practice
putting on and taking off the protective equipment that you would use
in the case taking care of a patient with the bowler to
to make sure that we keep our staff safe
and and we we we don't have any instances spread and what happens if
somebody were to walk into the emergency room even at first person
whose I'm admitting them and taking down their information would need to
understand those procedures as well
we're screening are all
acute care visits the come anywhere into the system whether it's
a doctor's office whether it's are urgent care centers or whether it's
walking into the mercy department for patients who screen and by Ark
questions where we immediately
isolate them arm into a more careful screening
which is done by one of our infectious disease positions
if we deem that person to have a high enough risk
that we need to test then we immediately take them
to a separate part of the hospital's I'll be sealed off from the rest the
hospital
we're going to to bring in equipment necessary to do the testing training
and and I'll be a separate team people who've are
who've gone through this three for our training
on who actually assume care
that point and what about the emergency workers and paramedics re also working
with the different
Townsend and fire departments on how
you know their response to be if they had to pick somebody up there's an
enormous amount of coordination necessary so the tier 1
designated hospitals are meeting weekly with the Department of Public Health &
and the Massachusetts Hospital Association
there many many many partners including MSN
fire departments but also our suppliers from only by the protective equipment
on and other healthcare institutions in the region
home in in you know there's really a long list
above items to check off and work through and planned for
to be ready and do you feel like you know it initially
when a case happened in Texas of course there's a lot of comments and criticisms
like
you know hospitals weren't ready nurses didn't feel ready do you feel
at this point that hospitals around the country have really
I'm stepped up their preparation process I do
I do I think
the awareness is very high and
certainly here in Massachusetts and and at Baystate Medical Center
we've we've run through the scenarios we've done
training have enough staff that we know if tonight we had to activate
our protocol we be able to do it and do it safely and certainly
its and extremely flow risk but you have to be prepared
in that am unlikely events but let's talk a little bit about the treatment
a patient who has a below you have Nina fam who was that nurse that we all I
learned about from texas has now been released from hospital
doctor Craig Spencer who is in stable condition
and in New York so what are the treatments that are keeping
these patients or have kept these patients alive and and now
released from hospital so as you suggest what we've seen is that
third number patients have died if you baller on
here in this country is very different
and many fewer compare to well where the epidemic is
yes starting in West Africa and I think there's a couple reasons for that
number one first and foremost is the supportive care were able to give
in an ICU setting in you know you know first-world hospital here in this
country
so IV fluids management
on careful monitoring thats important part is a reason why
people have been surviving more here another or the experimental drugs
so there's a couple drugs that
the paper people you mentioned have received currently
print sort of us here an anti-viral drug is being released by the FDA
for emergency use in patients with people in this country
and that's been used to me think that probably has something to do with
on the success rate in treating people here and to ease the anxiety people
who might be watching who might say well
you know i mean the flu season is upon us what could you tell people are
watching at home
you know a in terms of the flu there's
general precautions that we take on if
the flu is spread by droplet particles
water that we might cough or sneeze at a farmhouse
generally don't travel more than three
26 feed for the drop to the ground and then don't become a problem
general things like if you're
sick and you have a coughing or sneezing cough
into your sleeve we recommend that that'll help stop the spread
frequent hand-washing not obsessive
but frequent hand-washing during the day using yousef Ange
Charles helps prevent the transmission of these respiratory
viruses on general good infection
precautions as this is really what we should do and everybody should get a flu
shot
alright well thank thank you so much doctor salvador for explaining all the
different procedures
am that you're taking at Baystate thanks for joining us thank you