Disaster averted in simulation

What’s your grade?
March 12, 2012
Senator Circle substation OK likely; HPD lauds benefits
March 12, 2012
What’s your grade?
March 12, 2012
Senator Circle substation OK likely; HPD lauds benefits
March 12, 2012

Nicholls State University recently hosted a point-of-dispensing station disaster-training simulation to practice in the event of a public health emergency.

“This is part of a three-day full-scale anthrax disaster exercise that is going on in five different regions – New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Thibodaux-Houma, Alexandria and Slidell,” Medical Director, Region 3, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health Dr. Connie Gistand said. “These simulations test the ability and capacity of the state to respond to a public health emergency.”


About 200 volunteers – students and health department workers – took part in the simulation in which NSU would be the medication-distribution site for all Nicholls students, faculty and staff and their families in the event of a public health emergency.


“This POD will be a closed POD and will help to relieve the load off open pods,” Director of University Relations Renee Piper said. “This POD is designed to handle up to 10,000 people.”

In the simulation, role players, some acting out different scenarios such as exposure to anthrax, intoxication or irate behavior, were required to register family members and proceed through a series of stations such as screening, aid, treatment, support and dispensing.


“These are real-life scenarios,” Piper said. “Role players are here to get medicine for themselves and their families as head of the household. If there were an anthrax disaster, only one person needs to show up per family to get the medicine.”


The medications used to treat anthrax are ciprofloxacin, doxycycline and amoxicillin, and nursing students role playing as the POD volunteers periodically switched stations to practice each role, from crowd control to figuring out what medications each head of household needed and the dosage for each family member.

“This is great training. It takes everyone working together to keep the flow going. Communication is key,” nursing student Brittany Fuselier of St. Martinville said. “We will be well prepared, and it’s good to see in a role-play setting before it actually happens.”

Every 15 minutes during the event, coordinators were providing state officials real-time numbers on the exercise. Participating agencies were being evaluated on their speed, efficiency and ability to administer care to large numbers of patients.

“This simulation will help to test the PODs surge capacity. This practice is tax money at work so that we are prepared for a situation like this. We need to make sure that measures are in place to protect the public at a moments notice,” Gistand said. “The POD system is set up with signage so that even someone who does not speak English will be able to get medication.”

In the event of an emergency, a POD could be set up in an hour.

“Should this type of situation arise, those that would like to volunteer at a POD can do so,” Gistand said. “The training is very easy and you do not have to be a medical professional.”

Mallory St. Romain, a senior nursing student from Fordoche, NSU Police Department Sgt. Christy Hawxhurst, and Megan Kelly, a senior nursing student from Houma, help role player Kelli Toups of Thibodaux, during NSU’s disaster-training simulation.

CLAUDETTE OLIVIER / TRI-PARISH TIMES