News Releases

Hospitals Test Decon Capabilities

“Poison Control reporting Daconil fungicide released on crowd during air show. Anticipate influx of public with exposure. Track patients with complaints of dermal, ocular or respiratory irritation to report to local authorities.”

This was the message sent out the morning of July 13 over the Ohio Public Health Communication System (OPHCS), announcing the start of an exercise that was developed and coordinated by The Center for Health Affairs. The purpose of the exercise was to enable area hospitals to activate their emergency operations plans, test their mass decontamination processes and equipment, and meet Joint Commission requirements. 

In all, 24 participating facilities decontaminated more than 200 real and simulated patients and more than 720 staff participated. Hospitals tracked the number of patients treated in one hour and the time it took for staff to respond to the notification. The exercise also enabled hospitals to test their ability to meet a variety of logistical challenges involved in decontamination.

One of the most significant challenges facilities face is complying with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for recruiting, retaining and training decon team members. The specialized staff is voluntary with little or no additional compensation for the time spent training or the risk involved. For a proper response, facilities require sufficient numbers of staff trained to ensure employee and patient safety.

For more information regarding the exercise of the overall emergency preparedness initiatives at The Center, contact Beth Gatlin, at 216.255.3665 or beth.gatlin@chanet.org, or Andrea Bishop, at 216.255.3662 or andrea.bishop@chanet.org.