New unit combines technology and intuitiveness to create safe, contamination-free environment

November 30, 2020
faded image of hospital room with words high risk infectious disease unit overlaid
MUSC Health's 3,295 square-foot high risk infectious disease unit – a space designed to prevent cross-contamination at every turn – is the only state-designated Ebola Treatment Center in South Carolina. Photos by Sarah Pack

It took nearly six years to become a reality, but the serendipity is not lost on Dustin LeBlanc, M.D.

It was 2014, and a man who had just returned home to Dallas from traveling to West Africa became sick. He checked himself into a local hospital, and after running a barrage of tests on the man, doctors confirmed that he had Ebola. He died eight days later. Two of the health care workers who treated him also contracted the virus but were fortunate to recover. In the end, over the course of 18 months, 11 people were treated for the rare but severe illness, with two of them losing their lives.

It was during this outbreak that MUSC realized the vulnerability of health care in relation to these kinds of illnesses. 

Headshot of Dr. LeBlanc 
Dr. Dustin LeBlanc.

“That scare brought a lot of awareness,” explained LeBlanc, an MUSC Health emergency physician, who credits his colleague, pediatric emergency physician Kathy Lehman-Huskamp, M.D., with knowing that this wouldn’t be the last time the country would deal with a deadly virus. “She knew then how important it was to be prepared next time around,” he said. 

After discussions with state and federal officials, MUSC Health applied for a grant to build a space for treating high-risk infectious diseases. It took some time, but eventually, they were awarded $2.9 million to build a state-of-the art unit designed specifically around safely treating patients in need of highly specialized care.

Just about the time the facility was becoming a reality – space in the Clinical Science Building, adjacent to the existing Emergency Room at MUSC, was allotted for the new unit – along came COVID-19.

“The timing of all this surely makes us look smart,” LeBlanc said. “And sure, there’s a bit of luck involved, but our people, in particular Dr. Lehman-Huskamp, had the foresight to know there’s always another Ebola out there.”

“It’s so intuitive. You can simply look down at the floor and know what gear to use.”

 

Kimberly Bailey, inpatient emergency manager for MUSC Health

Earlier this year, the hospital completed the 3,295 square-foot space known as the MUSC Health high risk infectious disease (HRID) unit, the only state-designated Ebola Treatment Center. The clinical area has the capacity to house two isolation patients. And every detail of the space was designed with safety in mind and preventing cross-contamination.

“Literally everything in here is hands-free,” explained Kimberly Bailey, inpatient emergency manager for MUSC Health. Lights come on, room doors and closets open – all with the simple wave of a hand. Even the decontamination chemical shower can be operated hands-free, by one person, preventing anyone from having to touch contaminated gear.

The floors in the unit are colored green, yellow and red to allow staff to identify easily what area of the unit they are in and what PPE should be used. 

“It’s so intuitive. You can simply look down at the floor and know what gear to use,” Bailey said.

Collage of three photos. One of sign saying high risk infectious disease unit. One of a hallway showing colored floors and one of a bathroom illuminated by a blacklight. 
Color-coded floors and blacklit bathrooms are just a few of the many safety precautions in the new unit.

Both yellow and red areas have negative pressure space to prevent the spread of airborne particles. The unit even contains five separate HVAC systems that can be enabled or disabled as needed.

The patient rooms have more comforting blue and brown color schemes, and each includes a nurse call system, telehealth capability and lighting that dynamically shifts throughout the day, mimicking the outdoors to help patients to maintain natural circadian rhythms. 

Contained within the green or “clean” space is a nurses’ station with space for three clinicians, clean and soiled utility rooms, a nourishment alcove, a medication room, a storage area for PPE, a chemical shower/decontamination room as well as a classroom space that can accommodate up to 14 students. 

“We’re hoping we never have to put a patient in it,” Bailey said. “Right now, it’s going to be used for clinical training for staff.”

In addition to training, the space is also being used to administer chemotherapy to COVID-positive cancer patients, LeBlanc said.

Additionally, the space can be used for the treatment of VIPs – think dignitaries or high-profile people – who might require additional privacy, away from the rest of the hospital. 

According to Bailey, the high-risk team is made up of about 45 MUSC Health care team members – ranging from technicians to physicians and respiratory therapists – who train quarterly. 

“Having a unit like this helps us stand out,” LeBlanc said. “No one in the state has this degree of setup for infectious diseases. It gives us an ability to take care of high-risk patients while maintaining a high level of safety. So whatever the next form of disease is that comes along, we’ll be ready.”