The lessons learned 1 year since Americans quarantined at Camp Ashland
Those at UNMC/Nebraska Medicine reflect on the changes in the past year
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Updated: 10:22 PM CST Feb 7, 2021
KETV Staff Report
Those at UNMC/Nebraska Medicine reflect on the changes in the past year
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Updated: 10:22 PM CST Feb 7, 2021
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JULIE: ONE YEAR AGO, THE WORLD WATCHED AS 57 AMERICANS GOT OFF A PLANE AT EPPLEY AIRFIELD BOARDED A BUS AND HEADED TO CAMP ASHLAND FOR QUARANTINE ROB: THEY WERE EVACUATED FROM THE EPICENTER OF THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK WUHAN, CHINA. , ON THIS ANNIVERSARY, KETV NEWSWATCH 7’S EMILY TENC SPEAKS WITH ONE OF THE EVACUEES, AND TO DOCTORS INSTRUMENTAL BRINGING THEM TO OMAHA ABOUT THE LESSONS LEARNED IN THIS PANDEMIC. >> IT WAS KIND OF LIKE A SHOCK. >> AMY DANGERFIELD REFLECTS BACK ON LIFE IN QUARANTINE AT CAMP ASHLAND. DARKER AT TH TIME, WE WERE LIKE, OK. THIS IS NOT TOO BAD. WE CAN DO THIS AND IT WILL BE OVER WITH IN 14 DAYS. >> THE ARIZONA PHOTOGRAPHER AND HER HUSBAND AND KIDS WENT TO WUHAN, CHINA IN JANUARY 2020, TO CELEBRATE THE CHINESE NEW YEAR WITH HER PARENTS. >> THINGS ESCALATED REALLY FAST. DARKER THREE WEEKS INTO THEIR STAY THE CITY SHUT DOWN AND , DANGERFIELD FOUND A WAY TO GET OUT OF THE EPICENTER. SHE AND HER FAMILY GOT ON PLANE TRAVELING FROM WUHAN TO SAN DIEGO SAN ANTONIO, AND , FINALLY STOPPING IN OMAH >> NO ONE REALLY KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT. >> THEY ENDED UP AT CAMP ASHLAND SPENDING NEARLY 2 WEEKS UNDER CLOSE OBSERVATION BY THE CDC AND HEALTHCARE WORKERS FROM UNMC A NEBRASKA MEDICINE. >> IT WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR US AN FOR THE HEALTH SYSTEM IN GENER TO START TO UNDERSTAND THIS DISEASE BETTER. >> DOCTOR JAMES LAWLER AND SHELLY SCHWEDHELM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY MANAGEME AND BIOPREPAREDNESS AT NEBRASKA MEDICINE WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE PLANNING AND PREPARING TO BRING THE WUHAN EVACUEES SAFELY TO CAMP ASHLAND. BOTH TELL ME IT ALL STARTED WITH A PHONE CALL FROM THE FEDS. >> WE BEGAN QUICKLY TO OPERATIONALIZE SOME OF T LOGISTICS AND SUPPORT THAT WOULD BE NEEDED. >> ROOMS WERE QUICKLY PREPARED, BOOKS AND TOYS FOR KIDS FOUND. AND THEN THE WAITING BEGAN. >> ALL THE PEOPLE THERE WENT ABOVE AND BEYOND AND WENT OUT OF THEIR WAY TO TAKE CARE OF US. >> WHILE DANGERFIELD TELLS M SHE THOUGHT ONCE HER FAMILY QUARANTINE IT WOULD BE OVER. ,>> WE WERE HOPING THAT WE WERE GOING TO SHUT IT OUT OF THE UNITED STATES. >> DOCTORS SAY THEY KNEW WHAT WAS COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE. >> IT WAS INEVITABLE THAT ONCE IT GOT OUT OF WUHAN, THAT TH TYPE OF VIRUS, AS TRANSMISSABLE AS IT WAS, THERE WAS NO STOPPING IT. WE COULD HAVE MITIGATED THE IMPACT MUCH MUCH BETTER THAN WE DID. >> KETV NEWSWATCH 7 ASKED LAWLER, SCHWEDHELM AND DOCTOR MARK RUPP WHAT THEY’VE LEARNED IN THE YEAR SINCE THE EVACUEES CAME TO OMAHA. >> STAYING TRUE TO THE SCIENCE, LOOKING AT THE DATA, TRYIN TO MAKE AS GOOD A DECISION AS ONE CAN MAKE WITH THE DATA AT HAND AND THEN REALIZING THAT YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO ADJUST AS TIME GOES FORWARD. >> I THINK IF WE HAD SOME OF THE TOOLS AT OUR DISPOSAL NOW, AS WE HAVE LEARNED HOW TO MANAGE THESE PATIENTS BETTER, WE WOULD HA FELT A LITTLE MORE COMFORTABLE AT THE TIME. >> I THINK IT’S TAUGHT US ALL A LOT ABOUT BEING AGILE AND QUICKLY BEING ADAPTABLE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND THE KNOWLEDG THAT YOU LEARN. >> BUT THERE’S STILL A MESSAGE OF HOPE A YEAR INTO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC >> I DEFINITELY FEEL HOPEFUL FOR THE UNITED STATES. WE PROBABLY WILL BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THIS STRONGER. >> IT IS REALLY AMAZING THAT IN LESS THAN A YEAR FROM EVEN KNOWING THE EXISTENCE OF THE VIRUS A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE , VACCINE COULD BE INTRODUCED IS NEARLY MIRACULOU >> HANG IN THERE WITH US. WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS AND WE WILL BE STRONGER ROB: WHAT AN AMAZING YEAR IT HAS BEEN. EMILY MENTIONED DANGERFIELD IS A PHOTOGRAPHER. SHE USED HER CAMERA TO CAPTURE HER JOURNEY FROM WUHAN TO OMAHA, AND HER TIME AT CAMP ASHLA