EDs were ready during Republican convention
Police officers spraying pepper gas at protesters. Anarchists throwing urine at police officers. Worrying about the possibility of food served at parties stored at the wrong temperatures causing food poisoning. Filling prescriptions on the fly for out-of-town delegates.
These are just some of the things that ED nurses at St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul, MN, have had to deal with during the recent Republican convention, which was held only two blocks away. "We actually went into lockdown status yesterday afternoon for a while, when the anarchists stormed past our hospital to get to the back door of the convention center," reports Joan Somes, PhD, MSN, RN, CEN, FAEN, ED educator. "The scary part is when we got home in the evening, we saw the damage they did to other parts of the city and realized what a good job the police had done to keep us intact."
ED nurses spent much time before the convention planning and preparing for what might happen, such as terrorist attacks. "Interestingly, it has been almost deathly quiet in our ED during the convention," she says. "There is so much security around the area that many people are afraid to try to come to see us."
During one of the protest marches, ambulances were unable to get through the crowds to the ED for about five hours. "We realized one of the benefits this week of not being too busy was that we are bringing all patients and families into rooms on arrival and registering them at the bedside," says Somes. Safety was one reason. "During one of the protests, they were breaking windows," she says. "Our entire waiting area is windows. The folks are safer inside the department, just in case."
A computerized system provided early warning that the police had to use pepper spray on protesters. "This information was communicated to the ED staff," says Somes. "Thus, if someone appeared covered with powder, or with runny eyes, respiratory symptoms, or vomiting or diarrhea, first we stop them to check if it is an exposure."
Police officers spraying pepper gas at protesters. Anarchists throwing urine at police officers. Worrying about the possibility of food served at parties stored at the wrong temperatures causing food poisoning. Filling prescriptions on the fly for out-of-town delegates.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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