On Wednesday, August 29, the BCU team held a short exercise called Operation Limelight for congressional staffers and media outlets. Operation Limelight was a demonstration of several aspects of an activated unit including patient admission via an Isopod, personal protective equipment (PPE) donning and doffing procedures, autoclave operations, laboratory specimen processing and adaptive communication via our Polycom system. The drill exemplified the teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration needed to ensure safe care for patients with highly infectious diseases and highlighted the improvements our team has made over the past three years.
Brian Garibaldi and Lisa Maragakis were interviewed by media outlets and discussed the BCU’s role in maintaining hospital and regional preparedness. Our administrative team escorted our guests throughout the unit and explained the details of our work. We highlighted our exciting new collaboration with the Maryland Department of Health where we will help our state assessment and frontline hospitals prepare to identify, isolate and treat potential patients with highly infectious diseases.
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is an important reminder that viral hemorrhagic fevers remain a threat. Amazon Prime’s series Jack Ryan, featuring John Krasinski, has also brought Ebola back into the public consciousness. The BCU has made great strides to maintain our level of preparedness and will continue to raise awareness regarding the hospital’s capabilities when responding to infectious disease threats to community health.
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