Dallas Nurse tests positive for Ebola (1 Viewer)
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Dallas nurses speak out against hospital
http://www.nationalnursesunited.org...at-texas-health-presbyterian-hospital-in-dal/
There was no advance preparedness on what to do with the patient, there was no protocol, there was no system. The nurses were asked to call the Infectious Disease Department. The Infectious Disease Department did not have clear policies to provide either.
Initial nurses who interacted with Mr. Duncan nurses wore a non-impermeable gown front and back, three pairs of gloves, with no taping around wrists, surgical masks, with the option of N-95s, and face shields. Some supervisors said that even the N-95 masks were not necessary.
The suits they were given still exposed their necks, the part closest to their face and mouth. They had suits with booties and hoods, three pairs of gloves, no tape.
For their necks, nurses had to use medical tape, that is not impermeable and has permeable seams, to wrap around their necks in order to protect themselves, and had to put on the tape and take it off on their own.
Nurses had to interact with Mr. Duncan with whatever protective equipment was available, at a time when he had copious amounts of diarrhea and vomiting which produces a lot of contagious fluids.
Hospital officials allowed nurses who had interacted with Mr. Duncan to then continue normal patient care duties, taking care of other patients, even though they had not had the proper personal protective equipment while caring for Mr. Duncan.
Patients who may have been exposed were one day kept in strict isolation units. On the next day were ordered to be transferred out of strict isolation into areas where there were other patients, even those with low-grade fevers who could potentially be contagious.
Were protocols breached? The nurses say there were no protocols.
Had I been working there I would have walked out. I have nothing but respect for the nurses who are speaking out against the hospital. Hospital's are known for trying to cover up their fuck ups. Scary.
http://www.nationalnursesunited.org...at-texas-health-presbyterian-hospital-in-dal/
There was no advance preparedness on what to do with the patient, there was no protocol, there was no system. The nurses were asked to call the Infectious Disease Department. The Infectious Disease Department did not have clear policies to provide either.
Initial nurses who interacted with Mr. Duncan nurses wore a non-impermeable gown front and back, three pairs of gloves, with no taping around wrists, surgical masks, with the option of N-95s, and face shields. Some supervisors said that even the N-95 masks were not necessary.
The suits they were given still exposed their necks, the part closest to their face and mouth. They had suits with booties and hoods, three pairs of gloves, no tape.
For their necks, nurses had to use medical tape, that is not impermeable and has permeable seams, to wrap around their necks in order to protect themselves, and had to put on the tape and take it off on their own.
Nurses had to interact with Mr. Duncan with whatever protective equipment was available, at a time when he had copious amounts of diarrhea and vomiting which produces a lot of contagious fluids.
Hospital officials allowed nurses who had interacted with Mr. Duncan to then continue normal patient care duties, taking care of other patients, even though they had not had the proper personal protective equipment while caring for Mr. Duncan.
Patients who may have been exposed were one day kept in strict isolation units. On the next day were ordered to be transferred out of strict isolation into areas where there were other patients, even those with low-grade fevers who could potentially be contagious.
Were protocols breached? The nurses say there were no protocols.
Had I been working there I would have walked out. I have nothing but respect for the nurses who are speaking out against the hospital. Hospital's are known for trying to cover up their fuck ups. Scary.
Here is a link to a video interview with one of the nurses. Unfortunately she will lose her job for speaking out. I don't think panic is in order but after listening to her I am definitely more concerned.
http://www.today.com/health/dallas-nurse-we-never-talked-about-ebola-thomas-eric-duncan-2D80220579
http://www.today.com/health/dallas-nurse-we-never-talked-about-ebola-thomas-eric-duncan-2D80220579
I'm impressed at how the nurses union has come out swinging against CDC and inadequate hospital preparedness.
edit: On the downside, it also displays to the world (known enemies with bio weapons ie N. Korea) how vulnerable modernized countries are.
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I have a feeling he won't have a job much longer.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden began his grilling Thursday on Capitol Hill with a stark admission that his agency is still searching for ways to combat the Ebola virus as it burrows into the United States.
Two members of Congress are calling for his resignation, and the White House began the torturous process of throwing him under the disease-control bus on Thursday afternoon, saying that Frieden is 'taking responsibility' for his agency's screwups.
'We're always open to ideas for what we can do to keep Americans safe,' Frieden said in his opening statement, departing from his prepared remarks in the face of a hostile and impatient panel in a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee.
'We would consider any options to better protect Americans,' he said later during a Q&A period
Frieden's statements will not inspire confidence. The first Ebola patient identified on U.S. soil was misdiagnosed, and two nurses caring for him have since contracted the body-destroying hemorrhagic fever.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters as the hearing continued that the CDC director was responsible – implying that President Barack Obama is not.
‘You have seen, at least in a couple instances, Dr. Frieden taking responsibility' for the CDC's widely panned response, he said.
That plan included stepped-up Ebola screenings at five major U.S. airports – announced a week ago but only put in place on Thursday. Airports in New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C. are affected.
Frieden was on the hottest seat in the hearing room after his agency's officials told one of the infected nurses that she could travel Monday on a commercial airplane – even though she treated the first patient and worked alongside the other nurse, who had already tested positive.
The woman, Amber Vinson, traveled to Ohio to help with plans for her wedding and returned to Dallas on a Frontier Airlines plane.
The news that she had spent time in Cleveland, and that three of her relatives work at Kent State University, sent the region into panic mode.
Schools and hospitals are on lock-down across Cuyahoga and surrounding counties. And one store visited by her friends has been closed until it can be assessed.
'My understanding is that she did contact the CDC,' Frieden conceded Thursday, responding to questions from the House panel while saying he did not participate in the call.
'I have not seen the transcript of the conversation,' he added, casting blame on Vinson. 'My understanding is that she reported no symptoms to us.'
Frieden confessed the CDC is still not sure how Vinson and her coworker, Nina Pham, contracted the Ebola virus.
'While we do not yet know exactly how these transmissions occurred,' he said, 'they demonstrate the need to strengthen the procedures for infection-control protocols which allowed for exposure to the virus.'
Dr. Daniel Varga, the chief clinical officer at Texas Presbyterian Hospital, also testified that his staff hadn't yet cracked the mystyery.
'That's correct,' he said.
Pham will be transferred soon from Dallas to a National Institutes of Health facility's special isolation unit in Washington, D.C.
The nurses episode, along with the Obama administration's insistence that air travel must continue between the U.S. and the three hardest-hit African countries – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – had Republican lawmakers hopping mad.
'People are scared. We need all hands on deck. We need a strategy,' barked Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, who chairs the full Energy and Commerce Committee. 'We need to protect the American people, first and foremost.'
'This is not a drill,' he said, 'a fact that the doctors and nurses working on the front lines understand. People’s lives are at stake, and the response so far has been unacceptable.'
Pennsylvania Rep. Tim Murphy, who helms the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, said the stakes 'couldn't be any higher.'
'The number of Ebola cases in West Africa is doubling about every three weeks. The math still favors the virus, even with the recent surge in global response,' he added.
'With no vaccine or cure, we are facing down a disease for which there is no room for error. We cannot afford to look back at this point in history and say we could have done more.'
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who leads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, provided little reason for enthusiasm.
'We are still in the early stages of understanding how infection with the Ebola virus can be treated and prevented,' Fauci admitted in a written statement.
Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar demanded Frieden's resignation Thursday afternoon.
'CDC Director Thomas Frieden has failed to lead and has shown gross incompetence in his actions or lack thereof to prevent the spread of Ebola domestically,' Gosar said in a statement.
'We cannot afford such mistakes when American lives are at risk. That is why I am calling for the immediate resignation of Director Friedan (sic).'
He joined fellow Republican Rep. Tom Marino of Pennsylvania, who said late Wednesday that the 'false sense of security' the CDC has offered 'is exactly the opposite of the CDC director’s primary responsibilities – to communicate clearly and honestly.'
'I have no ill will towards him personally but he should resign his position effective immediately,' Marino said.
As of October 12 the World Health Organization reported 8,997 confirmed Ebola cases in Africa and 4,493 documented deaths.
So far the U.S. has seen only three confirmed cases, one of which claimed the patient's life.That man, Thomas Duncan, was a Liberian national who traveled to Dallas in September.
A clinician at Texas Presbyterian Hospital failed to note that he had come from an Ebola-stricken country, and he was sent home with antibiotics to treat his fever.
Days later he returned and was placed in isolation until his death on Oct. 8.
Varga, the hospital administrator, admitted on Wednesday that his organization erred in turning Duncan away at first.
'Unfortunately, in our initial treatment of Mr. Duncan, despite our best intentions and a highly skilled medical team, we made mistakes,' he told Congress.
'We did not correctly diagnose his symptoms as those of Ebola. We are deeply sorry.'
Varga testified Thursday via video link. After acknowledging that he had distributed the CDC's Ebola protocol to the hospital's department in the early days of Ebola's African resurgence, he stunned the hearing room by admitting that his staff had no specialized training to prepare.
Briana Aguirre, a Dallas nurse who helped treat Duncan, told NBC's Today show on Thursday that the CDC's Ebola protocols didn't help her and her coworkers cover up adequately in the hospital.
Her and others' hazmat suits, she said, had large gaps between the bodysuit and the headpiece, exposing several inches of their necks.
'We never talked about Ebola,' she said. 'We were never told what to look for.'
The hospital had hosted an optional seminar on Ebola, but there was no hands-on training included.
When she realized her zipped-up hazmat suit didn't fully protect her, Aguirre said, 'I threw a fit. I just couldn't believe it, in the second week of an Ebola crisis at my hospital, the only gear they were offering us allowed our necks to be uncovered.'
---------------------------------
fucksake/blunderville and I think I,m better prepared than the cdc
Two members of Congress are calling for his resignation, and the White House began the torturous process of throwing him under the disease-control bus on Thursday afternoon, saying that Frieden is 'taking responsibility' for his agency's screwups.
'We're always open to ideas for what we can do to keep Americans safe,' Frieden said in his opening statement, departing from his prepared remarks in the face of a hostile and impatient panel in a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee.
'We would consider any options to better protect Americans,' he said later during a Q&A period
Frieden's statements will not inspire confidence. The first Ebola patient identified on U.S. soil was misdiagnosed, and two nurses caring for him have since contracted the body-destroying hemorrhagic fever.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters as the hearing continued that the CDC director was responsible – implying that President Barack Obama is not.
‘You have seen, at least in a couple instances, Dr. Frieden taking responsibility' for the CDC's widely panned response, he said.
That plan included stepped-up Ebola screenings at five major U.S. airports – announced a week ago but only put in place on Thursday. Airports in New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C. are affected.
Frieden was on the hottest seat in the hearing room after his agency's officials told one of the infected nurses that she could travel Monday on a commercial airplane – even though she treated the first patient and worked alongside the other nurse, who had already tested positive.
The woman, Amber Vinson, traveled to Ohio to help with plans for her wedding and returned to Dallas on a Frontier Airlines plane.
The news that she had spent time in Cleveland, and that three of her relatives work at Kent State University, sent the region into panic mode.
Schools and hospitals are on lock-down across Cuyahoga and surrounding counties. And one store visited by her friends has been closed until it can be assessed.
'My understanding is that she did contact the CDC,' Frieden conceded Thursday, responding to questions from the House panel while saying he did not participate in the call.
'I have not seen the transcript of the conversation,' he added, casting blame on Vinson. 'My understanding is that she reported no symptoms to us.'
Frieden confessed the CDC is still not sure how Vinson and her coworker, Nina Pham, contracted the Ebola virus.
'While we do not yet know exactly how these transmissions occurred,' he said, 'they demonstrate the need to strengthen the procedures for infection-control protocols which allowed for exposure to the virus.'
Dr. Daniel Varga, the chief clinical officer at Texas Presbyterian Hospital, also testified that his staff hadn't yet cracked the mystyery.
'That's correct,' he said.
Pham will be transferred soon from Dallas to a National Institutes of Health facility's special isolation unit in Washington, D.C.
The nurses episode, along with the Obama administration's insistence that air travel must continue between the U.S. and the three hardest-hit African countries – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – had Republican lawmakers hopping mad.
'People are scared. We need all hands on deck. We need a strategy,' barked Michigan Rep. Fred Upton, who chairs the full Energy and Commerce Committee. 'We need to protect the American people, first and foremost.'
'This is not a drill,' he said, 'a fact that the doctors and nurses working on the front lines understand. People’s lives are at stake, and the response so far has been unacceptable.'
Pennsylvania Rep. Tim Murphy, who helms the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, said the stakes 'couldn't be any higher.'
'The number of Ebola cases in West Africa is doubling about every three weeks. The math still favors the virus, even with the recent surge in global response,' he added.
'With no vaccine or cure, we are facing down a disease for which there is no room for error. We cannot afford to look back at this point in history and say we could have done more.'
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who leads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, provided little reason for enthusiasm.
'We are still in the early stages of understanding how infection with the Ebola virus can be treated and prevented,' Fauci admitted in a written statement.
Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar demanded Frieden's resignation Thursday afternoon.
'CDC Director Thomas Frieden has failed to lead and has shown gross incompetence in his actions or lack thereof to prevent the spread of Ebola domestically,' Gosar said in a statement.
'We cannot afford such mistakes when American lives are at risk. That is why I am calling for the immediate resignation of Director Friedan (sic).'
He joined fellow Republican Rep. Tom Marino of Pennsylvania, who said late Wednesday that the 'false sense of security' the CDC has offered 'is exactly the opposite of the CDC director’s primary responsibilities – to communicate clearly and honestly.'
'I have no ill will towards him personally but he should resign his position effective immediately,' Marino said.
As of October 12 the World Health Organization reported 8,997 confirmed Ebola cases in Africa and 4,493 documented deaths.
So far the U.S. has seen only three confirmed cases, one of which claimed the patient's life.That man, Thomas Duncan, was a Liberian national who traveled to Dallas in September.
A clinician at Texas Presbyterian Hospital failed to note that he had come from an Ebola-stricken country, and he was sent home with antibiotics to treat his fever.
Days later he returned and was placed in isolation until his death on Oct. 8.
Varga, the hospital administrator, admitted on Wednesday that his organization erred in turning Duncan away at first.
'Unfortunately, in our initial treatment of Mr. Duncan, despite our best intentions and a highly skilled medical team, we made mistakes,' he told Congress.
'We did not correctly diagnose his symptoms as those of Ebola. We are deeply sorry.'
Varga testified Thursday via video link. After acknowledging that he had distributed the CDC's Ebola protocol to the hospital's department in the early days of Ebola's African resurgence, he stunned the hearing room by admitting that his staff had no specialized training to prepare.
Briana Aguirre, a Dallas nurse who helped treat Duncan, told NBC's Today show on Thursday that the CDC's Ebola protocols didn't help her and her coworkers cover up adequately in the hospital.
Her and others' hazmat suits, she said, had large gaps between the bodysuit and the headpiece, exposing several inches of their necks.
'We never talked about Ebola,' she said. 'We were never told what to look for.'
The hospital had hosted an optional seminar on Ebola, but there was no hands-on training included.
When she realized her zipped-up hazmat suit didn't fully protect her, Aguirre said, 'I threw a fit. I just couldn't believe it, in the second week of an Ebola crisis at my hospital, the only gear they were offering us allowed our necks to be uncovered.'
---------------------------------
fucksake/blunderville and I think I,m better prepared than the cdc
I can't get over the CDC telling the 2nd infected nurse that it was okay for her to fly with a low-grade fever. This is about to get bad.
any hollywood movie provides more lock down/hazmat suit coverage ffs
It seems they did think that it would never leave Africa.
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