The company that runs both Jersey City Medical Center in Jersey City and Meadowlands Hospital in Secaucus says it has appointed someone at each hospital to be the “incident commander” in dealing with the possible swine flu threat.
Joseph Scott, the president of LibertyHealth, said, “We are going to be prepared for the swine flu outbreak no matter how widespread or not the incidences become in our area.”
Officially, the two hospitals yesterday “activated their Incident Command Structure in an effort to plan, coordinate and provide leadership in response to the swine flu.”
As of 2 p.m. today, there were no confirmed cases of the sometimes fatal disease in Hudson County, but there were more than 40 in New York City (see related post below).
Scott said that at JCMC, Shari Grenier as been appointed as the Incident Commander. Simultaneously at the Meadowlands Hospital, Marty Baicker, FACHE, SVP opened the Hospital Incident Command.
Both centers have been linked together via telecommunications equipment, interactive TV and the internet to exchange and provide information to the staff, community and other agencies.
Said Scott, “We are instituting plans and advising staff at both hospitals and clinics that persons presenting with any flu like symptoms in the emergency departments, clinics and our ambulances are given masks to prevent the spread of disease to our staff and other patients. We are also in constant contact with other hospitals, the CDC, the hospital association and our county and state departments of health.”
Dr. Kenneth Garay, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, LibertyHealth, suggested the best way to prevent the spread of flu to yourself and your family is to:
Frequently wash your hands and those of your children
Avoid people with colds or the flu
Use disposable paper cups in bathrooms
Avoid handshaking during this time period
Quickly dispose of used tissues
Avoid crowds
He also requested that people do not visit patients if they have a cold or flu-like symptoms.