By KAITLYN SCHWERS

kschwers@baxterbulletin.com

While there have been no confirmed cases of Ebola in Arkansas, Baxter Regional Medical Center put up signage and held mock drills Friday to prepare in case the virus was to reach the region.

The chance of the virus reaching the Twin Lakes Area, in the hospital's opinion, is "slim to none," but like BRMC, more than 5,000 hospitals around the nation are turning to the Centers for Disease Control for approved plans and procedures, just in case.

Interim Chief Nursing Officer Shannon Nachtigal says the hospital has a detailed plan if the facility or its surrounding clinics were to see a patient experiencing symptoms of Ebola.

The hospital has put its plans into practice through various scenarios.

"We wanted to make sure we were educated to the best of everything we knew before we started talking to our employees and the public, and so we did some mock reviews yesterday, did some mock reviews this morning, and we got in touch with the CDC," Nachtigal said. "We're right where we need to be as far as what's going on in the nation."

Specifically, BRMC held two scenarios: 1) in the event a patient was to arrive by ambulance with symptoms and, 2) if a patient was to walk into the hospital, physician's office or a clinic.

"The big message is if everybody can stay calm, which is hard to do, because people are dying from this virus, it's a fatal virus," Natchtigal said. "The chances of us having someone infected with Ebola in Mountain Home, Arkansas, is slim to none. But, we don't ever want to be caught off-guard."

"It's flu season. We don't want people getting flu-like symptoms and thinking, 'I've got Ebola,' " she added. "If you match up the symptoms with Enterovirus D-68, Ebola and the flu, they all start to look the same."

According to the CDC, signs and symptoms of Ebola include a fever greater than 101.5 degrees, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and an unexplained hemorrhage. Symptoms typically appear 2 to 21 days after exposure.

"The biggest part we're hitting on right now is nursing staff are donning their protecting equipment and removing it correctly," Nachtigal said.

At the hospital, the staff has a buddy system. A spotter watches the staff worker put on the suit behind a glass window and calls out directions, one step at a time.

Signage will appear in the facility, as well as extra security measures, in case the virus was to appear in the state or in the region.

"We may shut down a few accesses to the facility if it gets closer, and if it gets to be within Arkansas or the southern Missouri area, we're going to completely limit the access," Nachtigal said. "No one can come in unless security is asking those questions."

One major question security will ask is if the person has traveled recently from out of the country — specifically West Africa.

"This is not just planning for Ebola, these plans put in place will be similar to anything that comes in the future," she added.