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Just in case the worst happens, be prepared

By B.L. Azure

SKC nursing program student Kevin Lunceford checks TERS student volunteer Jaylen Carpentier's paper work at the flu pandemic exercise and sends her on to the proper station. (B.L. Azure photo)

RONAN — Talk about perfect timing. Last Thursday area public and tribal health care officials along with various emergency responders and law enforcement entities conducted an emergency response training exercise to help them be better prepared for the real deal - in this case, a flu pandemic.

Before the dust settled on the exercise news reports began to trickle in about the real deal, an outbreak of swine flu in Mexico. Soon word came that the swine flu had crossed the border into the United States then eventually into Canada. By definition, a disease such as the flu becomes a pandemic when it crosses borders and infects others as it spreads.

Initially 40 cases of swine flu cases were reported in five states, New York, Kansas, California, Ohio and Texas. Among the 40 were 20 cases related to a New York City high school spring break trip to Cancun, Mexico. However, only one of the 40 reported cases of swine flu required hospitalization.

“The training exercise went great,” said Teri Boettcher, Lake County Health Department public information officer. “It was a real good learning experience because many of us were new at this but when all is said and done it went relatively smooth. There were a few glitches but we learn from those kinds of things. If swine flu becomes an issue in Montana we will be better prepared for it.”

Boettcher said the area is on the end of the regular flu season; consequently the flu bug is out there. “We are advising people to stay home if they are mildly sick but if they are really, really ill they should go see their doctor,” she said, adding that the Montana Department of Health and Human Services is ramping up its awareness of the issue and preparedness for it statewide. As of Tuesday there were no reported cases of swine flu in Montana.

On the national level the federal government is sending states protective equipment and antiviral medication to treat swine flu. Montana’s allocation will be enough to treat 25,000 people. There presently is not any swine flu vaccine available because of the time lag needed to gestate vaccines.

Tribal game warden Tom Haynes checks with medical officials to see if Carolynn Nyquist, playing a frantic mother, can be released to go to the site of the school bus crash that involved her daughter. (B.L. Azure photo)

“This is a situation where we need to be prepared in the event this medication or equipment is needed in the immediate future,” said DPHHS state medical officer Dr. Steve Helgerson. The state health officials are working closely with the physicians throughout the state to identify influenza-like illness. “We are continuing influenza surveillance and, especially since seasonal influenza is waning, we are asking doctors who see patients with influenza-like symptoms, to collect a specimen and send it to the DPHHS laboratory for testing.”

Last week’s exercise included a school bus crash with fatalities along with a pandemic flu outbreak in Lake County and the Flathead Indian Reservation.

The bus crash scenario featured local law enforcement and emergency responders as well as medical personnel from St. Luke and St. Joseph hospitals in Ronan and Polson respectively.

“Because of our efforts, our hospital is better prepared to tackle tough health problems with our community response partners,” said Mike Piper, Interim Chief Executive Officer of St. Joseph’s Medical Center.

During the exercise, SJMC received 16 bus crash trauma victims, who were volunteers from the Kicking Horse Job Corps Medical Assistant/CNA training program. In addition, SJMC involved the Kicking Horse bus driver (with permission) as a “crime lab” case for the Lake County Sheriff Department’s coroner for a total of 17 victims. St. Joseph’s Emergency Department was able to stabilize all patients within 45 minutes of arrival.

“We were pleased the doctors also participated in this exercise,” Piper said. “Our pediatrician and general surgeon rolled up their sleeves and got right in there...”

The pandemic influenza outbreak exercise was centered at the CSKT Division of Fire compound next to the Ronan airport. Scores of volunteers participated in the staging of the pandemic exercise.

People who suspected they might be infected with the flu filled out the paperwork that included their medical history, related family information and other relevant information.

“The flu is so contagious and it spreads easily,” said Terry Robison, public information officer at the flu pandemic site. “A pandemic flu outbreak can be deadly.”

Jaylen Carpentier receives her medical prescription at one of the stations at the flu pandemic exercise. (B.L. Azure photo)

The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919 infected one-third of the world’s population at that time or around 500 million people. Approximately 50 million people died worldwide. Annually 36,000 people die from the flu in the United States.

The screened patients were then sent to an appropriate physician to get further examinations to determine if they had the flu or not. Once people received their diagnosis they were then sent to a field pharmacy to pick up appropriate medication prior to being released from the compound.

But even then it wasn’t easy to leave the compound. Before they were allowed to leave people had to present releases to the guard at the compound gate. Then he would double check with medical officials to make sure the paperwork was authentic.

On one occasion a frantic mother who was at the pandemic flu outbreak site could not be released from the site so she could go to Pablo to check on her daughter who was involved in the school bus crash. The guard at the gate had to check with medical officials at the scene before allowing people - including the very agitated and concerned mother - to leave the compound.

It was all very realistic and proved very timely because of the current events related to the swine flu pandemic.

Students from Kicking Horse Job Corps, Salish Kootenai College, Two Eagle River and Ronan participated in the exercise. Other volunteers came from the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and Lake County.

Jolene Jacobson, head of the CSKT emergency services department, said the department is monitoring the situation.