Texas A&M Health Science Center

Just a few months ago, 34,000 acres burned in wildfires that consumed Bastrop, the worst in Texas history. Thousands had to be evacuated to nearby communities, and lives were changed forever. The next time a wildfire strikes, students from the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) will be ready to respond to any resulting health care issues thanks to an interdisciplinary mass casualty disaster training exercise March 8 at Central Baptist Church in College Station. The TAMHSC has conducted training exercises in the past, with a primary focus on hurricane relief and a chemical/fire explosion. This year’s scenario was a wildfire in Huntsville, with some evacuees coming to Bryan-College Station. Central Baptist Church served as a special medical needs shelter to handle burns, smoke inhalation, accidents, chronic disease management and acute care emergencies. Special medical needs shelters are designed for people whose frailty, mobility, functional and/or medical disability makes them particularly vulnerable and at-risk in disaster situations. They provide a safe environment for those requiring limited medical assistance or monitoring due to a pre-existing health problem. The exercise was planned and organized by senior nursing students with the guidance of Jerry Livingston, M.S.N., RN, assistant professor of nursing. Fourth-year medical students provided consultation on the patient scenarios to create a more interdisciplinary experience. “We started planning and decided on this scenario about the time of the wildfires in Bastrop and surrounding areas,” said Hannah Swigert, College of Nursing student and incident commander. “We thought we should know about burns and how to care for people with them, as well as dealing with something so extreme.” More than 100 students from the College of Nursing, College of Medicine and Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy participated in the exercise, which included a separate morning and afternoon session. Assistance was provided by the American Red Cross, Bryan Fire Department, College Station Fire Department, Texas Engineering Extension Service and others. Nursing students helped recruit more than 200 community volunteers to act as “patients” for the activity. They were organized, assigned to specific case scenarios, trained and coordinated by Laura Livingston, M.A., simulation training coordinator. Nursing students triaged patients, obtaining vital signs and initial histories while tending to first aid issues. Medical students served as attending physicians. Pharmacy students assisted with pharmacology issues at a table. Patients were discharged, transferred (with assistance from an EMT team) or remained for observation. Some scenarios even included patients receiving advanced life support efforts that sometimes required the students to determine the patient would not survive. During the exercise, students made assessments, performed screenings and basic wound care, positioned and transported victims and more. Some even took leadership roles and coordinated care throughout the facility. In doing so, they learned skills such as the function of special medical needs shelters, roles and expectations of personnel, responses to an unfolding public health crisis and the importance of a team approach. “This is a fluid event, and things happen that are not anticipated,” Jerry Livingston said. “Just like in a real disaster, we all have to be able to think critically outside our area of expertise and utilize any resources that might be available.” TAMHSC faculty monitored student performance, answered questions, consulted on certain cases and ensured a safe practice. Both sessions ended with a debriefing. “This exercise gave us good exposure to things we wouldn’t necessarily see in a hospital or clinical setting,” Swigert said. “We were able to collaborate and communicate effectively with the students and the participating agencies while learning a lot in the process.”

The Texas A&M Health Science Center Convocation will take place at 2 p.m., Jan. 20 in Rudder Auditorium. Prior to convocation, there will be student and faculty luncheons. Your college will be given additional information for dissemination. We look forward to seeing faculty, staff and students from across the TAMHSC in person or in attendance via videoconferencing. More information is available online at tamhsc.edu/convocation

A South Texas law enforcement group is taking the proverb “lead by example” to heart, serving as role models to a community once deemed the nation's fattest city by Men's Health magazine. In partnership with the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) Coastal Bend Health Education Center, the Corpus Christi Police Department kicked off its “Healthy Heroes” program in January with the goal of improving the health of the department’s officers and support staff. Featuring fun and innovative lessons in living a healthier lifestyle, the yearlong program is comprised of nutritional information, exercise demonstrations and stress management tools. Most importantly, it gives participants access to one-on-one health consultations with the TAMHSC-Coastal Bend Health Education Center’s registered nurses and registered, licensed dietitian. “Ideally, Corpus Christi's police department employees will have opportunities and information to make healthier choices,” says Commander Adele “Heidi” Frese, Support Services Division Wellness Committee chair for the Corpus Christi Police Department. “In every industry, healthy employees are happier, more productive, miss less work and sustain fewer injuries.” [caption id="attachment_8874" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="All "Healthy Heroes" participants receive one-on-one consultations regarding the results of their screenings."][/caption] In addition, all police department employees receive for free a total cholesterol plus glucose screening, weight/BMI (body mass index) assessment, and body fat percentage and blood pressure reading, the results of which are recorded and tracked throughout the program. “The ‘Healthy Heroes’ program began with 82 participants and crossed the six-month mark with over 120,” says Delia Martinez, interim coordinator of the TAMHSC-Coastal Bend Health Education Center Diabetes Education Program. “We are seeing results, and I believe the participants’ co-workers are seeing those results as well.” Not all health improvements, though, are visible to the naked eye. “While most of the group’s cholesterol and blood sugars came back fine, 51 percent of the initial participants exhibited borderline blood pressures, and another 31 percent had numbers in the high range,” Martinez says. “Obviously, this is a high-stress job, and we knew this was an area we needed to offer our assistance. Of those returning for their three-month follow up, 66 percent saw a reduction in their blood pressure.” Following the example set by the Corpus Christi Police Department, the city’s fire department then reached out to the TAMHSC-Coastal Bend Health Education Center. “The fire department actually sent someone out to film our four-part diabetes self-management classes,” Martinez says. “The materials in these classes address nutrition, physical activity and medication management, lessons that are relevant to everyone.” The fire department posted the videos to its intranet and put out a memo making it mandatory for all employees to view the series. To help track their progress, employees also are offered the same screenings and one-on-one health consultations that the police department is receiving. “This program started out with a goal of being a yearlong initiative; however, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a lifelong process,” Martinez says. “It is my desire to extend on into the next year and beyond. We want to continue the progress seen by our current participants and allow others to join along the way.” More about the program is available at http://www.caller.com/news/2011/jan/10/police-department-kicks-off-new-fitness-program/