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Edmonton hospitals test pandemic containment tents
Published: Saturday, January 13, 2007
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EDMONTON -- Edmonton's health region has set up a portable triage tent across the street from one of its busiest hospitals to test how well it will work during a major emergency such as a global flu pandemic.
Starting Jan. 29, people suffering from a fever and a cough, who would normally head to their family doctor or a medicentre, can try out the test tent at the Royal Alexandra Hospital rather than an emergency department.
The $500,000 tent's ultimate purpose is to keep flu-infected people away from hospital emergency departments, where they could infect other patients.
"Nobody can predict when an infectious disease outbreak, whether it be a pandemic or something else, is going to happen," said Dr. Gerry Predy, medical officer of health for Capital Health.
Should a real pandemic hit, the region expects 600 patients to head to each emergency department every day. That's four times the normal volume and would quickly overwhelm the hospitals which would likely have fewer staff because of sickness.
Portable triage centres would be set up near all emergency departments to relieve some of that pressure.
The unit is completely self-contained with its own heating, air conditioning and water system. It uses negative pressure to keep viruses and bacteria from escaping, and positive pressure to keep contaminants from the pharmacy section.
This is the first time such a tent has been tested in extreme cold. Three places in Ontario have also tried the Portable Isolation Containment System.
Edmonton Journal
Published: Saturday, January 13, 2007
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<script language="JavaScript1.1" src="http://ad.ca.doubleclick.net/N3081/adj/dose.ca/news/story;loc=bigbox;sz=250x250;tile=2;kw=ron;kw=news; ord=35697879?"></script> <noscript> EDMONTON -- Edmonton's health region has set up a portable triage tent across the street from one of its busiest hospitals to test how well it will work during a major emergency such as a global flu pandemic.
Starting Jan. 29, people suffering from a fever and a cough, who would normally head to their family doctor or a medicentre, can try out the test tent at the Royal Alexandra Hospital rather than an emergency department.
The $500,000 tent's ultimate purpose is to keep flu-infected people away from hospital emergency departments, where they could infect other patients.
"Nobody can predict when an infectious disease outbreak, whether it be a pandemic or something else, is going to happen," said Dr. Gerry Predy, medical officer of health for Capital Health.
Should a real pandemic hit, the region expects 600 patients to head to each emergency department every day. That's four times the normal volume and would quickly overwhelm the hospitals which would likely have fewer staff because of sickness.
Portable triage centres would be set up near all emergency departments to relieve some of that pressure.
The unit is completely self-contained with its own heating, air conditioning and water system. It uses negative pressure to keep viruses and bacteria from escaping, and positive pressure to keep contaminants from the pharmacy section.
This is the first time such a tent has been tested in extreme cold. Three places in Ontario have also tried the Portable Isolation Containment System.
Edmonton Journal
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