It was an eerily familiar scenario: A huge storm barreled through the Gulf of Mexico with New Orleans in its sights. Hospitals began implementing their disaster plans, calling in employees who would remain on duty throughout the storm. Days later, yet another huge storm entered the Gulf, again threatening the region and straining health care resources.
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Surviving Hurricane Katrina was a life-changing experience. It also was a transformational experience for hospitals, which revamped emergency plans and even changed building design.
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At 3 o'clock on a Saturday afternoon in August, an SUV pulled up to the emergency department at SSM DePaul Health Center in St. Louis. A security officer peered in and saw three men covered in a yellowish powder. It looked like anthrax. Their skin was literally blue — they were cyanotic and near death.
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BJC HealthCare, a highly respected 13-hospital system in St. Louis, has become the nation's first multihospital system to require influenza vaccinations as "as a condition of employment for all employees, clinical contract workers, and volunteers."
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Every employee who gets a flu shot at McLeod Health in Florence, SC, walks away with a $20 bill. Yes, you heard that right. Twenty bucks for rolling up their sleeve and getting the vaccine that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The Joint Commission, and others say will help prevent the spread of flu to vulnerable patients.
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"Hello. I'm Dr. John Jernigan from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Your doctor has chosen to admit you to this facility because you need high-quality medical care. The health care providers here want to do everything they can to help you get well and to avoid complications.
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Sometimes the routine becomes routinely ignored. That is what had happened at North General Hospital in New York City with annual health assessments.
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Hazards faced by sonographers now are addressed in the online safety module, eTool, of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The segment provides possible solutions to musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risks and suggests equipment that could reduce the hazards.
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Zero needlesticks. That is the goal set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta as one of the Seven Healthcare Safety Challenges. So why did CDC contract with Novartis for prefilled, thimerosal-free syringes that had conventional needles attached? Federal law has required the use of safety-engineered devices for almost eight years.
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