’s
March 8, 2013 edition
The Pulse
Your regular check up on SCKMC activities Storm Preparation Key for SCKMC When winter storms hit everyone is affected. South Central Kansas Medical Center leaders began planning for the latest winter blast days before it actually arrived. Larry Hemel is the medical center’s Maintenance Director and Safety Officer. As part of his role he keeps up to date on potential threats to the facility. “(Civil defense) keeps us updated on the weather reports, projected amounts of snow or rain, and Brian Stone with Cowley County Emergency Management meets frequently with individuals throughout the County and the State to keep us up-to-date on the progress of storms,” Hemel said. Based on the projected forecast, SCKMC CEO, Steve Perkins, determined to move forward with initiating the medical center’s emergency operations plan. “We pulled together our core emergency team, looking at staffing issues for coverage of all shifts,” Perkins said. Dozens of SCKMC’s staff members altered their work schedules to allow for coverage in the various departments. Eleven staff stayed the night to ensure they would be able to work Tuesday morning. While the winter storm did not hit the area as hard as predicted, it did cause the medical center to lose power temporarily. SCKMC switched to emergency generator power for approximately four hours to reduce the risk of damage to their sensitive electrical equipment. Hospital officials report no damage resulted from the power loss, or the storm itself. And with no damage, Perkins looks back at the entire experience as an example of being properly prepared combined with of the commitment of the hospital staff. “We’ve got the most outstanding, dedicated team that just step up without really even being asked and take steps to make sure we are going to continue great patient care,” Perkins said.
March Employee of the Month Congratulations to Betty Ortiz, Environmental Services, for being named “Employee of the Month”. Betty has worked for SCKMC since 2011. She was nominated by staff for her dedication and team building attitude. Great Job!
It’s RSV Season! Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of severe lower respiratory tract disease among infants and young children worldwide. Currently there is no effective vaccine against RSV. However, palivizumab (say "pah-lih-VIH-zu-mahb"), a drug that contains virusfighting antibodies to RSV, can help prevent severe RSV disease, such as pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs) or bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lungs) in high-risk infants or young children. Since these antibodies are given to protect high-risk infants or young children only during yearly RSV outbreaks in their community, monitoring patterns of outbreaks has helped physicians determine when palivizumab should be given. Outbreaks of RSV occur each year, usually lasting 4 to 5 months during the fall, winter, or spring. However, the exact timing of the RSV season can vary by region, as shown in this chart containing laboratory data from the United States National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS). Of the 10 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regions and Florida, the 2011-12 RSV season started and ended the earliest in Florida (mid-August to early March). Florida also had the longest RSV season (30 weeks). The start date of RSV season in other regions ranged from late October to mid-January, and the end date ranged from early March to early May. Within a region, the timing of RSV season can change each year. Compared with 2011, the season started earlier in 2012 in all regions that are reporting data except one (Region 3). (Region 8 had not started the RSV season as of January 7, 2013). The table above compares the start dates of the 2011-2012 RSV season. The regions and states are listed in order from the earliest to latest RSV season start date. For more information on this topic visit www.cdc.gov. How can we improve this publication? Share your thoughts, story ideas, and comments by e-mail to claytonp@sckrmc.org.
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