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On this episode of Transmission Interrupted, we welcome members of NETEC’s Special Pathogen Research Network to discuss their experiences as research personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mpox outbreak. Join us as the team explores the challenges, triumphs, and lessons learned from implementing research protocols at warp speed in time-sensitive and high-pressure environments.
Questions or comments for NETEC? Contact us at [email protected].
Visit Transmission Interrupted on the web at netec.org/podcast.
GuestsChrista Arguinchona, MSN, BSN, CCRNManager, Special Pathogens
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children’s Hospital
Christa is the Manager for the Special Pathogens Program at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children’s Hospital (PSHMC&CH). Her responsibilities include developing and maintaining a care team for the Special Pathogens Unit and developing policies, protocols, and educational and training plans. Christa manages the Special Pathogens Program that facilitates readiness throughout HHS Region 10 for emerging special pathogens. Christa collaborates with community, regional and national partners on all aspects of what it means to be a Regional Treatment Center for Emerging Special Pathogens.
Christa has her Master’s Degree in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and is certified in Critical Care. She has over 30 years of critical care experience in the neurological/trauma ICU at PSHMC&CH.
Barry Clark, MS, BSN, ASN, RNResearch Educator, General Clinical Research, Serious Communicable Disease Unit.
Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia
Barry is the Research Educator for the Georgia CTSA Clinical Research Centers (GCRC) at Emory University Hospital. His responsibility includes functioning as a liaison and educator for research teams that use the GCRC clinic and the inpatient nursing units where clinical trials are conducted. Barry's primary function is working with principal investigators and research coordinators, guiding them through the process of carrying out research studies. Barry also functions as a support nurse to the Serious Communicable Disease Unit and works as an instructor for the research-based phlebotomy program.
Barry has a Master’s Degree in Education and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. He has been a registered nurse at Emory University Hospital for 27 years and has worked in the role of staff nurse, nurse educator, transplant nurse, research nurse, research coordinator for the liver transplant program, clinic manager, and unit charge nurse.
Jade Flinn, MSN, RN, CCRN, CNRNProgram/Unit Director Biocontainment Unit
Department of Medicine
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Jade Flinn graduated from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in 2011 and Notre Dame of Maryland University in 2019. She is trained as a neurocritical care nurse, critical care transport nurse, and nurse education leader. Her role as the BCU unit director is to maintain the unit’s overall activation readiness including physical infrastructure, rostered personnel training, and systemic preparedness for capacity to safely care for patients infected with high consequence pathogens. Flinn also serves as a bedside clinical nurse in the Johns Hopkins intensive care units and during inter-hospital ground transports. Her professional interests revolve around representation of nursing in disaster preparedness and response, health care worker safety, and hospital emergency operations. Her most current work involves an international, multicenter COVID-19 clinical trial (Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial), quality improvement developments for category A waste processing using autoclaves, and effective personal protective equipment training.
Jessica Gieseke, BA, BSN, CCRNResearch Nurse Coordinator, Special Pathogens Unit
University of Minnesota and M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center
Jessica is a research nurse working in both Special Pathogen research and the Department of Emergency Medicine for the University of Minnesota. In these roles, her work includes supporting rapid implementation of research protocols and uses her nursing expertise to develop plans to adopt protocols to work with inpatient nursing workflows.
Jessica has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology with a focus in Community and Global Health as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. She has 3 years of experience working on different types of research protocols in different specialties and has 5 years of experience working in critical care in the M Health Fairview System and has a specialty certification in Critical Care Nursing.
Michael Willig, MSN, BSN, RN, CNEclNursing Program Manager
Biocontainment Care Unit
University of Texas Medical Branch
Michael is the Nursing Program Manager for the Biocontainment Care Unit (BCU) at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) which represents the Health and Humans Services (HHS) Region 6 for emerging special pathogens. His responsibilities include developing and maintaining the patient care team for UTMB’s BCU. Additional BCU responsibilities include developing policies, protocols, educational and training plans as well as following the routine and preventative facility maintenance for the BCU. Michael also collaborates with community, regional and national partners to represent UTMB’s commitment to being a Regional Treatment Center for Emerging Special Pathogens.
Michael earned his Master of Science Degree in Nursing Education following a Bachelor of Science Nursing Degree and Paramedic Certifications. His healthcare experiences include prehospital, pediatric, critical care, teaching, and clinical research that spans over 40 years.
HostJill Morgan, RNEmory Healthcare, Atlanta, GA
Jill Morgan is a registered nurse and a subject matter expert in personal protective equipment (PPE) for NETEC. For 35 years, Jill has been an emergency department and critical care nurse, and now splits her time between education for NETEC and clinical research, most of it centering around infection prevention and personal protective equipment. She is a member of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), ASTM International, and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI).
ResourcesNETEC COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus Resources: https://repository.netecweb.org/exhibits/show/ncov/ncov
NETEC COVID-19 Webinar Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5JyGXQ8MP0TZXU2Ldy-jzjLuUNfFX8JZ
NETEC Mpox Resources: https://repository.netecweb.org/exhibits/show/monkeypox/monkeypox
NETEC Resource Library: https://repository.netecweb.org
About NETECA Partnership for PreparednessThe National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center’s mission is to set the gold standard for special pathogen preparedness and response across health systems in the U.S. with the goals of driving best practices, closing knowledge gaps, and developing innovative resources.
Our vision is a sustainable infrastructure and culture of readiness for managing suspected and confirmed special pathogen incidents across the United States public health and health care delivery systems.
For more information visit NETEC on the web at www.netec.org.
NETEC Consultation ServicesAssess and Advance Your Readiness for Special Pathogens with Free, Expert Consulting.
NETEC offers free virtual and onsite readiness consulting to help health care facilities and EMS agencies prepare for special pathogen events. Our targeted support services are delivered by experts selected and assigned to each inquiry based on the unique needs of your organization. Have a question? Ask a NETEC expert.
For more information visit: netec.org/consulting-services.
On this episode of Transmission Interrupted, join hosts Lauren Sauer and Rachel Lookadoo, along with guest Syra Madad, as they discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on emergency management, public health, and health care systems. They explore the challenges faced by hospitals, social vulnerabilities highlighted by the pandemic, and the importance of investing in resources for communities.
Additionally, they delve into the prevalence of infectious disease outbreaks in pop culture, including the movies Outbreak and Contagion. The speakers also discuss the tools and strategies used for emergency preparedness and response, how these have evolved over time, and the importance of prevention in addition to preparedness. Tune in to learn more about the impact of infectious diseases and pandemics on our society and health care systems.
GuestSyra Madad, DHSc, MSc, MCP, CHEPDr. Syra Madad is an infectious disease epidemiologist, science communicator, and writer. She currently serves as the Senior Director of the System-wide Special Pathogens Program at New York City Health + Hospitals, the nation’s largest municipal health care delivery system overseeing special pathogen preparedness and response efforts across the enterprise. She's the Co-Principal Investigator at The Institute for Diseases and Disaster Management, fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Core Faculty at the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center and affiliate faculty at the Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research at Boston University. Dr. Madad's work focuses on prevention, preparedness, response and recovery from special pathogen outbreaks with an emphasis on health care and public health biopreparedness.
HostsLauren Sauer, PhD, MScLauren is an Associate Professor in the College of Public Health, Department of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Core Faculty of the UNMC Global Center for Health Security. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and the director of the Special Pathogens Research Network.
She previously served as Director of Operations for the Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness where she ran the inpatient COVID19 biobank and served on the COVID-19 research steering committee for JHU. Lauren’s research focuses on human subjects research in bio-emergencies and disasters, in particular, ethical implementation of research and navigating the regulatory environment. The goal of her research is to provide health care facilities with the tools needed to conduct a clinical and operational research response in emergencies.
Rachel Lookadoo, JDRachel Lookadoo is an Assistant Professor in the Epidemiology department of the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and serves as the Deputy Director of the Center for Biosecurity, Biopreparedness, and Emerging Infectious Diseases. She also acts as the Director of Public Health Policy for the Water, Climate, and Health program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Ms. Lookadoo’s background is as an attorney, and she focuses on the various legal and regulatory issues that can arise in emergency preparedness and response. She specializes in public health impacts of climate change, healthcare surge events, isolation/quarantine law, crisis standards of care, infectious disease response, and general legal preparedness. Ms. Lookadoo also conducts emergency preparedness trainings and assessments for public health departments and healthcare facilities nationally. Ms. Lookadoo received her Juris Doctor degree from American University Washington College of Law, and her Bachelor’s degree from Baylor University.
ResourcesNETEC: https://netec.org
NETEC Resource Library: https://repository.netecweb.org
About NETECA Partnership for PreparednessThe National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center’s mission is to set the gold standard for special pathogen preparedness and response across health systems in the U.S. with the goals of driving best practices, closing knowledge gaps, and developing innovative resources.
Our vision is a sustainable infrastructure and culture of readiness for managing suspected and confirmed special pathogen incidents across the United States public health and health care delivery systems.
For more information, visit NETEC on the web at www.netec.org.
NETEC Consultation ServicesAssess and Advance Your Readiness for Special Pathogens with Free, Expert Consulting.
NETEC offers free virtual and onsite readiness consulting to help health care facilities and EMS agencies prepare for special pathogen events. Our targeted support services are delivered by experts selected and assigned to each inquiry based on the unique needs of your organization. Have a question? Ask a NETEC expert.
For more information on NETEC Consultation Services, visit: netec.org/consulting-services.
The Long Term Care community has faced a wide range of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Early in the outbreak, visitation restrictions in long term care communities were enacted to help keep residents safe. As the pandemic wore on, these restrictions began to take a toll on both long term care residents and their families. The social isolation and lack of contact with family and friends have had a negative effect on the health and well-being of long term care residents. How can long term care facilities safely care for residents while addressing the growing challenge that social isolation and loneliness present? Join host Jill Morgan and guest Jerry Nevins, Assistant Administrator at the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home in Omaha, Nebraska as they share lessons learned and discuss strategies to help mitigate the effects of isolation in long term care facilities during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Questions or comments for NETEC? Contact us at [email protected].
Visit us on the web at netec.org/podcast.
GuestsJerry Nevins, NHA, RNAssistant Administrator at Rose Blumkin Jewish Home.
Before joining the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home in 2017, Jerry was a nursing services surveyor with the long-term care survey team for the state of Nebraska. His knowledge of state and federal regulations, in addition to over 30 years’ experience providing healthcare in various capacities in Omaha, has been invaluable to the management team at RBJH. He has lead a number of IT initiatives at the Home as well, upgrading various systems and implementing new ones. Jerry is also active in leadership roles with the Omaha Health Care Coalition and is the Education Co-Chair for LeadingAge Nebraska.
HostJill Morgan, RNJill Morgan is an RN and subject matter expert in PPE for NETEC. Member APIC, ASTM, AAMI. For 35 years Jill has been an emergency department and critical care nurse, and now splits her time between education for NETEC and clinical research, most of it centering around Infection Prevention and Personal Protective Equipment.
ResourcesTransmission Interrupted, Episode 15: Staff Resiliency in Long Term Care: https://netec.org/transmission-interrupted/staff-resiliency-in-long-term-care/
Transmission Interrupted, Episode 11: NETEC and the Long Term Care Continuum: https://netec.org/transmission-interrupted/netec-and-the-long-term-continuum/
NETEC COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus Resources: https://repository.netecweb.org/exhibits/show/ncov/ncov
NETEC COVID-19 Webinar Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5JyGXQ8MP0TZXU2Ldy-jzjLuUNfFX8JZ
NETEC Resource Library: https://repository.netecweb.org
About NETECA Partnership for PreparednessThe National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center’s mission is to set the gold standard for special pathogen preparedness and response across health systems in the U.S. with the goals of driving best practices, closing knowledge gaps, and developing innovative resources.
Our vision is a sustainable infrastructure and culture of readiness for managing suspected and confirmed special pathogen incidents across the United States public health and health care delivery systems.
For more information visit NETEC on the web at www.netec.org.
NETEC Consultation ServicesAssess and Advance Your Readiness for Special Pathogens with Free, Expert Consulting.
NETEC offers free virtual and onsite readiness consulting to help health care facilities and EMS agencies prepare for special pathogen events. Our targeted support services are delivered by experts selected and assigned to each inquiry based on the unique needs of your organization. Have a question? Ask a NETEC expert.
For more information visit: netec.org/consulting-services.
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