Health experts are predicting a long, possibly deadly, fluseason.
H1N1 flu targets the young and reasonably healthy, while regularflu is dangerous for the very young and very old. Both viruses couldcause overflow in emergency rooms and intensive care units.
Colorado Springs hospitals are preparing for the worst casescenario: 90,000 dead and 300,000 in intensive care unitsnationwide. But they say, the preparation isn't anything new.
'Pandemic preparation is ongoing, all the time,' said CindyCorsano, emergency preparedness officer at Memorial Health System.'It's not something we do once they declare a pandemic.'
But Memorial has stepped up the preparation, and has met withPenrose-St. Francis Health Services to discuss cooperation in casethe worst happens.
'We are working together to make sure that we have the samerequirements in place, the same steps to control the infection,'said Stacey Knott, spokeswoman for Penrose. 'People should know thatboth hospitals are working to take care of them.'
Penrose plans to meet with the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention to discuss the upcoming influenza season -- and theimportance of the H1N1 vaccination, which is expected to beavailable by the middle of October.
'There are always concerns about side effects,' said Anne Dennis,infection preventionist with Centura Health, the parent organizationfor Penrose. 'We're hoping these meetings - we also have onescheduled with a naval epidemiologist to discuss swine fluspecifically - will help ease some of those fears.'
The CDC recommends that health care workers receive thevaccination, and that providers give it to populations who are mostat risk. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment ispre-registering doctors and other providers who plan to vaccinatepeople against the swine flu. Providers who are interested inadministering the vaccination should register with the state.
Joni Reynolds, director of the state's immunization program, saidthe pre-registration process will allow public health agencies tocollect information about interested providers, as well as thepopulations they serve and the estimated amount of vaccine theycould administer.
'The sooner local public health agencies receive pre-registration information from interested medical providers, thebetter they can facilitate vaccine distribution this fall,' shesaid.
The CDC recommends that pregnant women, people who live with orcare for children younger than 6, health care and emergency medicalservices, people between 6 months and 24 years old, and people ages25 to 64 who are at a higher risk because of underlying healthconditions be vaccinated.
About 19 million people in the country fall into the first fiverisk groups, the CDC said. A vaccination shortage isn't expected,but availability and demand could be unpredictable.
In the meantime, hospitals are gearing up for what could be amassive influx of patients. They are keeping their plans flexible,because no one is sure what will happen during the flu season.
'It could be like last spring,' said Chris Valentine, spokesmanfor Memorial. 'And we got all geared up, and then we had only a fewcases. But it could be much, much worse, so we're preparing forthat.'
Much worse - some groups are predicting up to half the U.S.population will affected with H1N1 flu.
'That would fill up our ICU beds and tax our personnel,'Valentine said. 'We have a plan in place that includes bringing inadditional people if that worse-case scenario happens.'
Dennis said Centura's plan includes isolating flu patients tokeep the disease from spreading inside the hospital, and perhapskeeping visitors to a minimum to control the spread of the disease.
Businesses are urged to create plans similar to the hospital'scontingency plans, according to the Colorado Department of PublicHealth and Environment. The CDC has information about businesses andflu at www.flu.gov.
The guidelines for businesspeople also refer to doctors' officesand outpatient clinics. Those groups need a plan to continueoperating, the CDC said.
'Novel H1N1 flu outbreaks will impact your organization,employees, suppliers of critical material and your family,' theguidelines say. 'Identify your office/clinic's essential functionsand the individuals who perform them. Make sure you have trainedenough people to properly work in these essential functions andallow for potential absenteeism.'
Doctors' offices should make sure they have alternate plans forsupplies in case routes are disrupted.
'Plan to operate your facility if there is significant staffabsenteeism,' the CDC said. 'Are you ready for 20 to 40 percent ofyour employees to be not able to come to work? Be sure to ask sickstaff to stay home. All personnel should self-monitor daily forsigns and symptoms of febrile respiratory illness.'
Both the CDC and other public health care providers say that bestoption is to be prepared and to work together.
'We're also working closely with the El Paso County HealthDepartment and the state,' Dennis said. 'We need to be able to trackthe virus throughout the flu season.'
CDC guidelines for health care businesses
1. Plan for a surge of patients and increased demands for yourservices -- Consider using your telephone system to deliver messagesto incoming callers about when to seek medical care at yourfacility, when to seek emergency care and where to go forinformation about caring for a person with flu at home
Consider extending your hours of operation to include telephonetriage of patients during a community outbreak.
2. Care for patients with H1N1 flu in your facility -- Make plansto screen patients for signs and symptoms of febrile respiratoryillness at entry to the facility.
If feasible, use separate waiting and exam rooms for possibleH1N1 flu patients; plan to offer surgical masks to symptomaticpatients who are able to wear them (adult and pediatric sizes shouldbe available), provide facial tissues, receptacles for theirdisposal and provide hand hygiene products in waiting areas andexamination rooms.
3. Take steps to protect the health of your workforce during anoutbreak of H1N1 -- All health care personnel who come in closecontact with patients who may have H1N1 flu should take precautionsto include use of respiratory and eye protection for all patientcare activities.
4. Provide immunization against seasonal flu at no cost to yourstaff -- In the fall there may be several influenza strainscirculating at the same time.
Although seasonal flu immunization will not provide protection toH1N1 influenza, annual influenza vaccination is recommended forhealth care professionals and will likely protect against seasonalinfluenza strains.
5. Make sure you know about the pandemic planning and responseactivities of the hospitals, outpatient facilities and local publichealth in your community -- Actively seek information from andcoordinate with key medical, clinical facilities and public healthdepartments in your community to learn about how they will managepatients during a pandemic.
Medical offices, emergency rooms, urgent care centers andhospitals in communities with outbreaks will likely have difficultymanaging a large influx of patients; a coordinated communityresponse is important to manage surge and assure optimal patientcare.
Develop a plan to manage your patients who do not need to seekemergency services.
6. Plan now so you will know where to turn to for reliable, up-to-date information in your local community. Staff in health caresettings should monitor the CDC's Web site and local and statehealth department Web sites for the latest information.
7. Be prepared for a range of situations. The true impact ofnovel H1N1 flu outbreaks during the coming months will not be knownuntil it happens.
Be prepared for a possibility that your facility will havesignificant increased demand for services and the possibility thatthe fall outbreak may have greater impact than the outbreak in thespring, 2009.
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
