Dr. Mary Russell This is Me

Education

 View all 32 references Web References

1. 1. webster-alt.aip.org

   webster-alt.aip.org/dbis/stori - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/1/2008   Last Visited: 5/30/2008

   They complain of dizziness," says Mary Russell, R.N., an emergency room nurse at Boca Raton Community Hospital in Boca Raton, Fla.
   ...
   There is no question, it's life-saving," says Russell.
   
   Janet knows it could have saved her mom.

2. 2. www.palmhealthcare.org

   www.palmhealthcare.org/index.c - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/9/2006   Last Visited: 8/2/2008

   "The model program was developed over five years by a coalition of healthcare professionals in Palm Beach County, Florida, and is now thought to be the most comprehensive in the country," said HERC chair, Dr. Mary Russell."While other communities have come together to form a community-wide response apparatus, none rival the achievements or sustainability as exhibited by the Healthcare Emergency Response Coalition (HERC)," said Dr. Russell, Research and Organizational Preparedness Specialist at Boca Raton Hospital.
   
   Healthcare professionals, emergency response personnel and local government in Palm Beach County have been working closely together since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 but HERC was formed after anthrax spores were mailed to the offices of AMI, the publishers of the National Inquirer, shortly after 9/11.It was the nation's first bioterrorism attack and resulted in the first fatality.
   
   "HERC has recognized the need for sustainability, and, while its focus is still on handling short-term disasters lasting a few hours or a day or two, it has realized that it must be prepared for long-term disasters lasting several days or more, and this really does involve partnership and planning," said Dr. Russell.
   ...
   "Our thought process right from the get go was what can we do that is best for all the hospitals, best for all first responders and best for the whole community," said Dr. Russell."From the beginning, we realized that there had to be interoperability across the board and that meant common communications systems, joint training, shared protocols and memorandums of agreement," she said.

3. 3. Current News

   www.masimo.com/news/2006.cfm - [Cached]

   Last Visited: 5/29/2008

   "I can't tell you definitely that people could have died, but it came close enough that it shook us up big-time," said Mary Russell, an ER nurse at Boca Raton Community Hospital.
   
   The hospital is in the area where anthrax hit the National Enquirer offices, and its emergency room, as well as the Boca Raton fire department's hazardous materials medical response unit, now are ready for a broad range of threats.
   
   The Boca case began at 1:50 p.m. on Sept. 7."We had a very astute charge nurse, and when he mentioned he smelled some fumes, she asked if he had been around generators," said Russell, a research preparedness specialist at the hospital."He said yeah.Construction was going on in the building.Carbon monoxide was already very much on our radar screen, and we had just gotten this new device, a Masimo Rad-57."
   
   Until the arrival of this device, testing carbon monoxide levels in humans was a long and painful process, involving the removal of blood from an artery and getting a lab result."That is exquisitely painful," said Russell.
   ...
   Only one other person was taken to the hospital, said Russell.
   ...
   It tested dozens of persons for anthrax after the mail scare in 2001, and after hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, it saw "whole families transported to us" with carbon monoxide poisoning caused by generators, said Russell.
   
   "I think there's a lesson to be learned here about generators," she added.She suggested construction inspectors should do more to check for the location of generators in buildings, and she would like to see stores like Home Depot have displays for home carbon monoxide sensors (which can be as cheap as $30 to $45) right next to the generators.
   
   She said she tried to find out how many generators were now in the state and had no luck."I can't even tell you how much this scares me," Russell said.