Oct 14, 2014 By David Singer 3 min read

Communication and preparation are key to dealing with a “surge event” at hospitals, when a fast-spreading infection leads to hundreds of casualties and the public stricken with panic – if not a virus.

It’s a hypothetical worst case scenario representatives from Monongahela Valley Hospital were recently trained on after visiting the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Ala., Sept. 15-19.

“It’s reinforced what we know to do, how it’s important to set up a command structure as soon as possible,” said senior vice president of safety and compliance, Donna Ramusivich.

The Bethel Park resident said what contributes to an already potentially dangerous situation is hesitation to declare a state of emergency.

“We drill this twice a year. You can’t hesitate to institute a chain of command. You need to acknowledge the potential for a ‘big event’ and act on it. The sooner you do that, the easier it is to maintain supplies and get patients treated,” Ramusivich said.

The adherence to a civilian version of military chain of command is to ensure accountability and to enable planning for weeks’ worth of scenarios.

“It’s planning, but also pre-planning. What is it going to be like 24 hours from now? It’s easy to get sucked into the crisis of the moment, but it’s imperative to keep in mind stages down the line.”

To simulate the stress and split-second decision making of a real pandemic, three Mon Valley hospital representatives took part in days-long drills.

“We moved, diagnosed and ‘treated’ 329 bodies (real people and mannequins) over a couple of days. They would come in with a stretcher with their symptoms and general condition written on their clothes. And we were doing this in full hazardous material suits,” said director of quality improvement and risk management, Diane Cooper.

“We’ve always been prepared. What these exercises did is give us the confidence to act. And it informed us what we’ll be working with. Being in one of those hazmat suits gives you a sense of how difficult it is to move and perform tasks. It makes you appreciate how you’ll have manage people while they’re monitoring someone else’s vital signs through a thick suit,” Cooper said.

A buddy system during a pandemic is paramount, officials said.

“Another person has to affirm you’ve put on your hazmat suit properly, watch for leaks, to make sure you don’t expose yourself, and for that person to be there to help start to decontaminate if something happens,” Cooper said.

Asked about Ebola, a non-airborne virus, Cooper said the public and health officials have and should continue to treat it as isolated, yet serious.

“Doing things you would for the flu, like sneezing into your elbow crease if you won’t be able to wash your hands for some time; washing your hands all the time.”

Cooper said there are safeguards and a general awareness in America that aren’t happening in the countries where Ebola has been met with skepticism, and thus, has led to pandemic levels of infection and thousands dead in West Africa.