Mercy, MMC plan together for emergencies

Are our hospitals prepared for a flu pandemic or other large-scale emergency?  That was the question as members of the boards of trustees of Maine Medical Center and Mercy Hospital gathered on March 23 with their senior leadership for a briefing on pandemic flu and emergency planning.  They were joined by Portland City Manager Joe Gray and other city officials, and by Dora Mills, MD, Maine's Chief Health Officer.
 
The conclusion was recapped at the end of the two-hour session by August Valenti, MD, Hospital Epidemiologist at MMC:  "You can never be fully prepared, because you don't know what the enemy is until it arrives.  But we have prepared, and we continue to prepare.  And we're doing it together."

The attendees heard from a panel of experts that included Dr. Valenti; Anthony Tomassoni, MD, MS, Emergency Physician and Medical Director of the Northern New England Poison Center; Steven Trockman, MPH, Director of the Southern Maine Regional Resource Center; Richard Rice, Director of Health and Safety at Mercy Hospital; Patricia A. Rybak, RN, CIC, Manager of Infection Control at Mercy Hospital; and Maggie Kelley, MSN, NP, Director of Employee Health Services at MMC.
 
Highlights of the session:

• Dr. Valenti presented basic information on what the flu is, how it spreads, how a pandemic flu is different than a seasonal flu, and the status of current treatment and vaccination protocols.
• Dr. Tomassoni described the importance of planning, and noted that the biggest problem in disaster response of any kind is a lack of effective communication that leads to a lack of coordination.
• Steven Trockman described the role of Maine's three Regional Resource Centers as "bridging the gap between state and local capacity", and serving as the key to effective communication and coordination.
• Richard Rice described how MMC and Mercy work together to conduct "Hazard Vulnerability Analyses" to identify the most likely threats, and the intense drilling in which the two hospitals share similar "incident command" structures and terminology.
• Patricia Rybak and Maggie Kelley discussed "syndromic surveillance" as a means of early detection of emerging threats, and how the two hospitals plan to ensure that staffing remains adequate, equipment is available, and issues such as ethical questions and legal considerations are addressed ahead of any actual disaster.

Dr. Mills addressed the gathering briefly, observing that MMC and Mercy are "way ahead" of the curve in their preparations.

Steven Trockman of the Southern Maine Regional Resource Center closed the discussion by reminding the attendees that preparation is important for everyone:  not just hospitals and the state, but businesses and individuals.  He recommended that everyone visit www.pandemicflu.gov, where there is extensive information, including checklists for preparations.

Contact:
Diane Atwood, Mercy, 879-3377
Communications & Marketing,  MMC, 662-2196