Lady of the Sea General Hospital
Press Releases
SWINE FLU: Lady of the Sea's Response
April 29, 2009 - Galliano, LA ---
Lady of the Sea General Hospital announced today that they have taken all necessary precautions and are preparing to deal with a pandemic flu situation in response to the recent news about Swine influenza.
"We are always on alert to a pandemic or epidemic health situation, and as soon as the news hit, our environment of care committee, along with our administrative team began following our response plan," said Helene Melancon, Infection Control Manager at Lady of the Sea General Hospital.
Over the next few days and weeks, our country will see continuous changes in the number of infected patients and possible deaths caused by swine influenza A (H1N1). In response, the CDC's Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) continues to send antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. Lady of the Sea began preparations immediately and has supplies on hand to handle the swine flu should an outbreak begin in our community. "The situation is rapidly changing. We are responding aggressively to the situation based on what we know and we're trying to stay ahead of the outbreak. We're asking that the people of South Lafourche stay vigilant in being informed about the swine flu. This is a time to be cautious, but not to panic," said Don Werner, CEO of Lady of the Sea General Hospital.
The outbreak has people on the edge across the country. Lady of the Sea General Hospital has installed a Swine Flu Hotline (985-632-8200) that will be updated continuously and will provide information on Swine Flu and our response to the disease. We also have public information available on our website at www.losgh.org. We are working in conjunction with media outlets to keep the public informed as the outbreak spreads.
Recommendations from the CDC to prevent the spread of Swine influenza are:
- Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
- Cover your sneeze - preferably with your sleeve or shoulder instead of your hand to prevent passing along any germs. If you cover your sneeze or cough with a tissue, immediately throw the tissue away in the trash.
- If you feel ill, stay home. This can lessen the spread of any disease through a community. Influenza is thought to be spread mainly from person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected persons.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
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