Apr 28, 2009 6:49 pm US/Central
HCMC Preps For Swine Flu With Signs, Mascots
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
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Every emergency room staffer receives internal memos with the latest on the outbreak.
CBS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has set aside an additional 700,000 doses of the antiviral Tamiflu and Relenza for Minnesota. Emergency rooms in the Twin Cities say they are ready for the swine flu, if it comes to the state.
The current sign at the entrance of the emergency room at Hennepin County Medical Center reads if you have chest pains see a guard. HCMC is preparing to switch to a new sign that will say in English, Spanish and Somali to also alert a guard if you have a high fever or cough, which are two symptoms of swine flu
"The signs are going to be changing to address the swine flu and to have those patients who are concerned about symptoms now bring that to our attention immediately so they're not sitting in our triage area without being identified," said Nursing Supervisor Oriana Beaudet.
Every emergency room staffer receives internal memos with the latest on the outbreak.
At HCMC, patients have been asking about the swine flu and a few have even been tested, those patients all had a high fever and a cough. Those tests have all come back negative.
At the pediatric section of the emergency room, nurses try to keep the atmosphere lighthearted with two mascots -- a stuffed animal bird saying "I have the avian flu" and a stuffed animal pig saying "I have swine flu."
But the staff says they are already honed by emergency drills and lessons learned during the Interstate 35W bridge collapse.
"The most important thing we took away is that all of our preparedness all of our planning really does pay off when an event really does occur because then it just becomes second nature," said Nursing Supervisor William Larson.
In addition to a fever of more than 100 degrees and a cough, the other indicator for swine flu is travel to Mexico or contact with someone who has been to Mexico.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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