Military

Date=11/15/01

Type=Background Report

Title=Bioterrorist Drill

Number=5-50511

Byline=Mike O'Sullivan

Dateline=Los Angeles

Internet=YES

Content=

Voiced At:

Intro: Hazardous materials teams and emergency medical workers sprang into action in Los Angeles (Thursday), as local officials conducted a drill to simulate a bioterrorist attack. Mike O'Sullivan reports from the University of California (Los Angeles) medical center, where the make-believe victims were treated.

Text: Emergency workers in hooded yellow safety suits hosed down the patients to decontaminate them. Victims were then interviewed and treated by doctors and nurses. Victor Kennedy, the director of safety and security for U-C-L-A Medical Center, is in charge of this part of the drill, helping people exposed to a virulent lung infection, at least theoretically.

/// KENNEDY ACT ///

The scenario was that earlier today, there was a group of people, convention-goers, who were exposed to a mist that was found to contain pneumonic plague. So we had real people acting as patients. They came into the emergency room for treatment, some through emergency medical services, some brought themselves in. And then we stopped them there.

/// END ACT ///

Officials closed the hospital emergency room to prevent other patients from becoming contaminated. The victims were screened in the parking lot, then treated in secure areas of the hospital.

/// OPT ///

/// SFX ///

We need help. We need help here.

/// END ACT ///

As in a real emergency situation, people are scared and nervous and concerned that they not wait long for medical treatment.

/// SFX.. squabbling ///

/// END OPT ///

As doctors and nurses consoled and treated victims, emergency workers communicated by radio.

/// EMERGENCY WORKER ACT ///

We need someone from Infectious Disease Control to come down to the haz-mat (hazardous materials) wash-down area immediately.

/// END ACT ///

People in charge of emergency command centers conferred every half hour to see how the drill was proceeding. Frances Riddlehoover, the chief operating officer of the U-C-L-A Hospital System, oversaw the meetings.

/// RIDDLEHOOVER AND STAFF ACT ///

Let me just make sure everybody's here. E-R's here. Logistics (Here). Planning (Here). Ancillary (Here).

/// END ACT ///

The hospital official said the drill identifies problems that might slow the response to an actual terror attack.

/// OPT /// She notes the twice-an-hour conferences were originally planned to take place by telephone.

/// RIDDLEHOOVER ACT ///

We attempted to it this morning by conference call, and the technology didn't work that well for us, so we went back to the old method of everybody trekking down here and reporting for five minutes. In fact, people like coming in here and conferring face to face, so I'm not sure the conference call was a good idea anyway. But we're going to try it again at 10:30 before we disband the drill, just to see if we can get the technology to work in case it's an approach that we want to try.

/// END OPT -- END ACT ///

Doctor Gerald Levey, the provost of medical sciences at U-C-L-A, says the university operates one of the leading teaching hospitals in the United States, with a staff of 16-hundred physicians.

/// LEVEY ACT ///

We have a very large program here in what is known as bacterial pathogenesis. We have outstanding physicians in the broad area of infectious diseases. We have surgical services and trauma materials here. So the raw material is here to face, God forbid, one of these tragedies happening in the Los Angeles area.

/// END ACT ///

The U-C-L-A official says major trauma centers around the United States also have the staff to deal with such major crises.

At the same time, says Doctor Levey, a bioterrorist threat places the U-S hospital system on the front lines of homeland defense.

A survey of 30 major hospitals around the United States suggests that many are unprepared to handle mass casualties caused by biological, chemical or nuclear weapons. A national organization representing U-S hospitals says the country's medical system needs 11 billion dollars to augment disaster networks.

/// OPT /// Dr. Levey notes that the tragedy in New York, where more than five thousand people were killed in September's terror attacks, illustrates the problem.

/// LEVEY ACT ///

When one of these events occurs, it essentially disrupts the flow of your hospital. You look in New York, for example. Patients who had to be discharged, operations were stopped in mid-stream to accommodate what they hoped would be people who were alive from that tragedy.

/// END ACT ///

Sadly, few of the missing victims survived the tragedy. Still, New York Hospitals have struggled to cope with the loss of revenues through disruptions of their normal flow of patients. /// END OPT ///

The hospital official says drills like the one in Los Angeles help ensure the emergency system is working.

Thursday's drill was planned before the September 11th attacks, but one hospital official said it now takes on new meaning. (Signed)

Neb/PT