For Immediate Release
April 11, 2018

Contact:
Charles H. Pannunzio/LAWA
(424) 646-5260

Elleen Kane/HHS
(202) 205-8117

(Los Angeles, CA) Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) joined dozens of federal, state, and local agencies today in the largest patient-moving exercise in thehistory of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“At LAWA, we are serious about our commitment to safety and security for our employees and guests, and practicing scenarios such as today’s patient transport helps keep our skills sharp and find gaps that need to be addressed,” said Edward Bushman, Director of Emergency Management, LAWA. “This was an especially important exercise, as it provided the opportunity for our airport staff and first respondersto work with multiple levels of government, as well as with medical service providers, just like we would in a real-life situation.”

The simulation, called “Tranquil Terminus,” began on Tuesday, testing the nationwide ability to move patients with highly infectious diseases safely and securely to regional treatment centers. On Wednesday, a specially equipped Boeing 747-400 made several stops on a flight from Atlanta, transporting actors who portrayed patients with a highly infectious disease.

The final stop was at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), near the Flight Path Museum and Learning Center, where two of the “patients” were met by local emergency responders who transferred the patients to ground ambulances for transportation to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Throughout the exercise, participants reacted as if the incident was real, taking the necessary actions and employing the appropriate resources to manage and protect the patients, the workforce and the environment and safely transport the patients.

"Today’s exercise was a very important part of our continuous efforts of planning, training, and exercising in collaboration with a multitude of agencies at the federal, state, and local level," said Stella Fogleman, Director, Emergency Preparedness and Response Division, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. "Having exercised this, we are better prepared today than we were yesterday."

The exercise was coordinated by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, with more than 50 organizations participating, including the Department of State, Department of Transportation, the Regional Ebola Treatment Centers, local and state health and emergency management agencies, hospitals, airport authorities, and non-government organizations.

“Saving lives during crises requires preparation and training,” explained HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Robert Kadlec, M.D. “A tremendous amount of coordination, synchronization, and skill is needed to move patients with highly infectious diseases safely. We have to protect the patients and the healthcare workers caring for those patients. This type of exercise helps ensure that everyone involved is ready for that level of complexity.”

The exercise focused on moving seven people acting as patients with Ebola symptoms in different regions of the country. The patients, including one pediatric patient, first presented themselves at one of the following healthcare facilities: CHI St. Luke's Health-The Woodlands Hospital in The Woodlands, Texas; Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina; Norman Regional Hospital in Norman, Oklahoma; St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho, and St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho.

At each facility, healthcare workers collected and shipped samples for diagnostic tests to state laboratories, which in turn practiced running the necessary laboratory tests to diagnose the patients with Ebola. As part of the exercise, each patient received a positive diagnosis. Using appropriate isolation techniques and personal protective equipment, health care workers then took steps to have six of the patients transported by air to designated Regional Ebola Treatment Centers. These patients were placed into mobile biocontainment units for the flights. The pediatric patient was placed into protective equipment and transported by ground ambulance.

In addition to Cedars-Sinai, the treatment centers that received the patients are Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia; Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington; and University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. The pediatric patient was transported to Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus in Houston, Texas.

The participating airports also included Boise Airport in Boise, Idaho; Charleston International Airport in Charleston, South Carolina; DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Atlanta, Georgia; Ellington Field Airport in Houston, Texas;Spokane International Airport in Spokane, Washington; and Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. HHS and the Department of State previously collaborated on exercises to move Americans acting as Ebola patients from West African countries to Ebola treatment centers in the United States. In public health emergencies or disasters, the U.S. government orchestrates the return of Americans to the United States, including Americans who are sick or injured.

This exercise runs through April 12. Participants will gather on April 13 to assess the exercise, compare actions across the country, and share best practices for moving patients with highly infectious diseases.

Note to editors: Video sound bites from Dr. Kadlec are available for download click here. High-resolution photos available upon request.

About Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA)
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is the City of Los Angeles department that owns and operates Los Angeles International (LAX) and Van Nuys (VNY) general aviation airports, as well as aviation-related property in Palmdale. Both play an integral role in helping to meet the Southern California regional demand for passenger, cargo and general aviation service. Both airports make a distinct contribution to the strength of the system as it provides a high level of safety, security and service for its customers, communities and stakeholders.As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.

About the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
HHS works to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans, providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services. Within HHS, ASPR’s mission is to save lives and protect Americans from 21st century health security threats. ASPR leads the nation’s medical and public health preparedness for, response to, and recovery from disasters and public health emergencies. To learn more about preparedness, response and recovery from the health impacts of disasters, visit the HHS public health and medical emergency website, www.phe.gov.