Oconee Regional Medical Center conducted a drill for a flu pandemic on November 7 – 9, from 8 – 10 a.m. each day.

    A pandemic is a global disease outbreak that spreads very quickly and affects many people worldwide within a relatively short period of time. A flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity, and for which there is no vaccine. There is no way to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be. Through measures such as border closures and travel restrictions, countries may delay arrival of the virus, but cannot stop it. Unlike seasonal flu, which occurs each year from November – March, a flu pandemic can occur at any time and last for as long as six months.

    Given the lessons learned from the recent problems surrounding Hurricane Katrina, hospitals and communities nationwide are being asked to prepare for the worst-case scenario if a pandemic should occur in 2007. Because interstate and federal assistance may be limited, emphasis is being placed on community preparation and public education. Oconee Regional Medical Center is working with Georgia Hospital Association as well as local, state and federal agencies to educate our citizens and to prepare for a possible pandemic.

    The three-day drill at ORMC simulates a pandemic influenza outbreak to test the hospital’s ability to respond to an influx of pandemic flu patients, using internal pandemic flu plans and an Incident Command System developed by ORMC and by the State of Georgia. The drill will provide additional training opportunities for ORMC staff members and allow any necessary adjustments in the planning process to be made. In the course of this exercise, there will be a test of the following: the hospital’s surge capacity (overflow of patients), isolation of patients with the flu, Incident Command operations, and communication with physicians, family members and hospital staff.

    An especially severe influenza pandemic could lead to high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts can range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery. The worst pandemic flu outbreak in this century occurred world-wide in 1918-1919. In the United States, there were approximately 20 million flu cases and some 500,000 people died.

Oconee Regional Medical Center

821 N. Cobb Street • Milledgeville, GA 31061
PO Box 690 • Milledgeville, GA 31059
(478) 454-3505
Copyright 2006