PEORIA, Ill. — OSF Saint Francis Medical Center has procedures and facilities in place capable of handling infectious diseases like the coronavirus.
Troy Erbentraut, OSF HealthCare’s Director of the Office of Preparedness & Response, explained it’s his job to make sure OSF Saint Francis staff are prepared for such an emergency.
“Whether it’s a novel virus outbreak or a tornado that hits somewhere, it’s my job to make sure that we can continue to care for our patients,” Erbentraut said.
Erbentraut told WMBD’s Greg and Dan if a diagnosis of the coronavirus were confirmed at Saint Francis Medical Center, his office would work in conjunction with OSF’s Infection Prevention/Control Department to contain it and protect patients, staff and visitors.
Lori Grooms, Director of OSF Infection Prevention and Control, said the patient would be be immediately put in isolation.
“We would put them in a special room that has what’s called negative air flow. All of the air that’s pulled into the room goes straight outside. We also wear protective equipment. So, we wear gowns and gloves and specialty masks to make sure staff’s faces are covered and protected,” Grooms said.
Grooms said since 2014, OSF Saint Francis has been screening incoming patients about travel, for good reason.
“Have you traveled outside the United States in the last six months, and if so, where? And, then we also ask them if they’ve been around anyone else who’s been sick,” Grooms said.
Grooms said those screening questions can help determine if an illness could potentially be serious or communicable.
To date, all of the five U.S. cases of the coronavirus have been linked to the patients traveling to China. One of those cases is a 60-year-old woman in Chicago, Illinois.
