Jacksonville, Fla. – With the potential threat of chemical and biological terrorism looming over our country, some Shands Jacksonville employees are participating in a Domestic Preparedness and Decontamination Procedures course from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9, held on the medical center’s campus.
The objective of this course is to understand the concepts of patient management and decontamination of those who have been exposed to biological, chemical, radiological and nuclear agents. Hands-on hazardous material field training will take place in our Mass Decontamination Unit at 1:30 p.m. Employees will learn about setting up the decontamination unit, procedures and safety issues related to the unit and the application of personal protective equipment.
Shands Jacksonville has been awarded a $70,000 Department of Justice equipment grant, which will be used to expand our decontamination capabilities. “Our goal is to provide the most efficient and effective treatment possible,” says Karen Ketchie, Shands disaster coordinator and medical/health committee co-chair for the Domestic Security Task Force. “We want to be able to treat a larger volume of patients that have been exposed to hazardous materials.”
The Florida Department of Health has identified Shands Jacksonville as the primary receiving hospital in northeast Florida for treating hazardous material patients.