Swine Flu: LV Health & Emergency Pros Want You to Be Informed

Yesterday, forty health professionals from all over the Lehigh Valley converged for a news conference about swine flu at Northampton County's 911 Center. We were in the war room, the operations center that will be used by emergency personnel in the event that the recent swine flu (H1N1) outbreak becomes more serious. It was an alphabet soup of MDs, DOs, RNs, ENPs, EMTs, BSNs, FACEPs and CICs, invited by Northampton County Exectutive John Stoffa. The purpose was to make sure the media and public is fully informed. John Conklin, Stoffa's Director of Administration, made sure that Lehigh County officials were on hand, too. As Conklin explained, "flu does not stop at borders."

Are LV Emergency Responders Ready?

After welcoming everyone, Stoffa made clear he wants to be sure county officials are doing everything humanly possible to minimize any health problems. "Are we as best prepared as possible for what will or may happen?" The answer, according to both emergency management and health care professionals, is that we are ready for the worst, but hoping for the best.

Bob Mateff, Emergency Management Services Director, began to reach out to LV health professionals on Monday, and has been conducting daily conference calls with CDC and Pa. Department of Health Officials. All necessary lines of communication are open and supplies for first responders are ready. In response to what Mateff has learned in those conference calls, 911 dispatchers are now asking a new series of questions to people who report respiratory distress. Management Services's Todd Weaver added, "We're prepared. I hope we are. We've been preparing for months and our partners in other counties are sharing information."

Dr. Jeffre Jahre, an infectious diseases specialist from St. Luke's Hospital, put it best. "What the county has done is brought us all together. This is all our problem. This is a very good start. We can come across as a community, not a particular agency. This is what we've been training for. That's what our community expects of us and that's what we're going to do."

What Can We Do?

OK, so we're not exactly Dr. Jahre, but does that mean we're helpless? Not at all, according to Mateff. The best thing we can do is regularly inform ourselves. In addition to the local newspapers, Mateff recommended that we visit the websites below for regular updates.

Pennsylvania Department of Health

Centers for Disease Control

Northampton County Emergency Management

Terry Burger, the Director of Infection Control at LV Health Network, also makes four very specific recommendations.

1) Hand hygiene. - Wash your hands often.

2) Cough Etiquette. - Cover your mouth and nose when coughing. Put up signs to remind people.

3) Social Distancing. - If you are sick, stay home. Do NOT go to work. Do NOT go shopping. Do NOT go to the movies.

4) Educate yourselves. - According to Dr. Jahre, an epidemic in 1976 did not amount to much. As of right now, most cases are being treated without hospitalization. But because swine flu can mutate, it needs to be watched closely.

What if I can't afford medical care?

Go anyway. Dr. John McCarthy, LVH's Chief of Emergency Care, said that every emergency department in every Lehigh Valley hospital will provide care even if there is no ability to pay.