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Trinity Health recently hosted a Hospital Hazmat Awareness and First Receiver Course (Decon) for hospital staff and first responders in the region. The one-day event drew over two dozen attendees from Trinity Health and facilities in Harvey, Bottineau and Tioga, some of whom were repeat customers.

“The material follows OSHA regulations, so it doesn’t change much from year to year, but it’s a lot,” said Tim Vangerude, trainer from Heartland Consulting, Bismarck. “Those who attend more than once are able to go a bit deeper and remember more each time.”

The course reviewed information on hazardous materials identification, containment and clean up requirements, and hands on practice of donning and doffing required personal protective equipment. Participants represented a diverse group in healthcare that included nurses, business offices, dietary aides, plant services, first responders, and nursing home personnel.

“It’s important that we have employees from several departments across the organization trained on what to do in a situation such as this,” said Kris Weber, Emergency Preparedness coordinator for Trinity Health. “If a disaster on a large scale were to occur, we wouldn’t have to drain one area of our labor pool to have all hands on deck to safely handle the emergency.” Currently, Trinity Health has 30 trained staff.

Funding for the event was provided by a federal grant through the North Dakota Hospital Association. It is free to attendees.

For more information contact Kris Weber at [email protected]