Vista ER, Exelon stage contaminated person drill

Waukegan, IL, June 9, 2011 — Melanie Felix was not treated like a normal workplace injury victim this morning as she was rolled into the Emergency Department at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan. Felix was playing the role of a victim of radiation contamination during an annual drill conducted by Vista Health System and Exelon, operator of the nearby Zion Station plant.

The ER staff had been on alert for nearly 20 minutes by the time the Zion Fire Department EMS truck pulled into Vista's ambulance bay. Felix, a Human Resources employee with Zion Solutions, was wheeled into a room set aside for contaminated patients. She was met by Vista's Emergency Department Director Karen McCormick, RN, and Lisa Volz, RN, who both already were wearing protective clothing. The nurses quickly went through the steps required to first treat Felix's simulated arm injury and then decontaminate her from apparent exposure to radiation. Within 20 minutes, Felix was declared to be fully treated and clean of contamination.

“This is an important drill we do every year in conjunction with Exelon to stay sharp in the event of an actual radiation contamination at the plant – something that has not occurred in many, many years,” said Faisal Hussaini, Vista's Director of Clinical Engineering and Emergency Preparedness. “It requires full coordination between several departments within Vista, as well as with Zion Station and the fire department. We treat this just as if it were a real-life event.”

A survey team from Exelon closely monitored the process at every step – from the time the injury was first reported at the plant through Felix's treatment in the ER. A full review afterward concluded that the correct procedures were followed to not only protect the patient, but to limit any spread of contamination.

“We never know what kind of emergency is going to come through our door,” said McCormick. “This was my second contamination drill at Vista, and I think we did an even better job this year. I'm proud of the way we coordinated our security, engineering and emergency medical staff to get the job done right.”