NVH holds training exercise

North Valley Hospital staff took part in an Ebola preparedness drill Friday to train for how to care for a patient who may be infected with the disease.

The multi-agency exercise was designed to train staff on the response plans and procedures developed over the past three months.

An actor played an “ill patient,” who came to the hospital with symptoms consistent with Ebola. Through a hands-on exercise staff trained in screening, intake, care and transfer of the patient to emergency medical services.

Medical staff spoke with the patient over the phone in a secured room until staff was able to put on protective gear. NVH contacted Flathead County Health Department, emergency medical services and Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

Staff ran through the procedures of caring for the patient. While dressed in full protective outbreak gear, medical staff transferred the patient to an ambulance.

Chris Bogers, chief clinical officer and incident commander, said the hospital, along with other Flathead Valley agencies, has been developing strategies to deal with Ebola.

“It was an opportunity to test what we have put in place,” she said about Friday. “To see what it would be like to care for the patient, coordinate with other agencies and transport the patient.”

Bogers said while the training was designed specifically for dealing with a patient with Ebola, the procedures followed are similar to how staff would handle a patient with any infectious disease.

The drill is important too because it goes beyond talking about procedure during a table top exercise, she noted.

“Having that patient there makes it a little more real,” she said. “It’s important to work through it and find areas where we need to improve.”

Ebola is a hemorrhagic virus, closely related to other tropical diseases. Symptoms are similar to the flu and include a fever. The disease is spread through direct contact with a patient who is infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The 2014 Ebola epidemic was the largest in history, affecting multiple countries in West Africa, according to the CDC. At least 24 cases have been treated in Europe and the United States. Most of those involved health and aid workers who contracted Ebola in West Africa and were transported back to their home countries for treatment.

Bogers acknowledged that news about Ebola hasn’t been as prevalent as it was last fall. However, she said as long as the virus is active the hospital needs to be prepared.

“People are mobile and we are committed to being prepared for the potential of having a patient with the disease,” she said. “It’s highly unlikely, but we want to be prepared.”