Emergency workers combat flu
As the spread of the flu virus reaches its peak in Washington County, the number of people affected, including health care and emergency workers, has spiked in the last two weeks.
The state Department of Health reported 1,160 cases of the flu in Washington County so far this season, from Oct. 1 to Jan. 27, ranking it as the 10th highest in the state. Allegheny County has had the most with 5,252, and Westmoreland sits at number four in the state with 1,544 cases.
Just three weeks ago, the department was reporting 773 cases in Washington County. At that time, Washington had the fifth-most cases in the state. The flu-associated deaths across the state have also gone up since then, from 34 to 65, including one pediatric case, according to the health department’s website.
The aggressive virus this year has emergency workers across the area doing what they can to keep themselves healthy, although they are exposed to the virus every day.
“Everybody’s sick as a dog,” said Jason Cole, president of Bearcat EMS ambulance service in Ellsworth. “We have transported quite a few handfuls of people with flu symptoms to local medical facilities.”
Cole said several of his EMS workers have dealt with flu symptoms this season and two of them even contracted pneumonia. He said since Bearcat is affiliated with Allegheny Health Network, all of its employees are required to get the flu shot every year.
“We have all the protective gear and everybody wears a mask, us and the patients, but it’s just a tough year,” he said. “We do what we can, but we’re in it once we walk into somebody’s house and they’ve been coughing everywhere.”
Rodney Rohrer, manager for Ambulance & Chair Service in Washington, said his crew members have also been exposed to the flu, but masks and gloves have helped prevent many of them from contracting it so far. He said a flu shot is offered to employees, but it isn’t mandated.
“I’m knocking on wood as we speak, but just one or two have gotten sick,” Rohrer said.
Rohrer said his crews have seen an increase in the number of “general sickness” calls, which often means flu-like symptoms.
“If they suspect it’s the flu, they will put a mask on their patients and their biggest thing is to wash their hands a lot,” Rohrer said about EMS workers.
The flu is also taking its toll on hospital workers. Barb Stultz, manager of the Washington Hospital’s emergency department said last year’s flu season affected 31 employees.
“This season to date, we’ve had 37 employees affected, and 34 of those in January alone,” she said.
Stultz said those employees miss on average 4.4 days of work. She said they have people to substitute so the department is still fully staffed.
Dr. Tony Aprea, medical director of Washington Hospital’s emergency department, said employees are required to get the flu vaccine and if they develop flu symptoms, they are sent home.
“Workers shouldn’t be at work if they have the flu,” he said.
Aprea said the hospital has had more than 100 confirmed cases of the flu just this past week. With that much exposure to employees, he said the ER is doing a hand-washing campaign.
“That’s one of the primary ways to prevent the flu from spreading from person to person,” he said.
All of the exam rooms that hosted a flu patient get a “level two cleaning” before another patient uses it, Aprea said.
Cathy Liberatore, infection prevention and control manager at Monongahela Valley Hospital, said employees also focus on hand-washing and room cleaning during flu season. Employees are also encouraged, but not mandated, to get the flu vaccine.
Liberatore said workers begin monitoring flu cases in October, and continuously check to make sure they have enough masks, gowns and gloves for isolated flu patients. She said patients with flu symptoms are typically isolated immediately upon their entry into the facility.
“We run a list each week of everyone in the hospital who’s tested positive for the flu,” Liberatore said.
She said that list often has employee names on it – people who called off work because they were sick and came back into the hospital as a patient.
“We want that person taken care of and to see if they’ve been vaccinated,” Liberatore said.