Decontamination Training On-Site

Pioneer Memorial Hospital hosted a special training in September. Monte Keady, Division Chief of Training for Klamath County Fire District #1, arrived in Central Oregon to begin training local hospital caregivers on field decontamination rationale, procedures and policies.

From Prineville, Keady traveled to Bend to conduct this course at St. Charles Medical Center (Wednesday, September 26, 2007), concluding in Madras at Mountain View Hospital on Friday, September 28.

Preparing to respond to disaster

The Field Decontamination training was made possible by the cooperative efforts of the regional healthcare preparedness board, a federally-guided program which helps public agencies and hospitals in Prineville, Burns, Lakeview, John Day, Madras, Bend, Redmond and Klamath Falls prepare to respond to disasters. All are members of the Area Trauma and Advisory Board (ATAB).

Michele Frandsen, R.N., B.S. N., is the hospital’s manager for the Emergency Department and chairman for the PMH Disaster Preparedness Committee. Frandsen worked to bring two sessions of the training on-site to PMH caregivers and others who will be involved in responding to an emergency situation. Emergency department caregivers, House supervisors, Disaster Preparedness Committee members, as well as administrative support team members were included. The seminar included the assembly and use of a portable decontamination shower unit. (Photos are included.)

“The PMH Disaster Preparedness Committee has been working together to update policies and to participate in drills along with local agencies. The drills and hands-on practice sessions help us learn new ways to perform tasks, helps with communication issues, and it also generates questions to help us work out kinks that may occur in a real event,” she notes. “We hope to hold more trainings with this equipment, and to keep what we have learned from past exercises current for our practice.”