Terrorist Warning for U.S. Hospitals
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And the new terror alert has put hospitals on guard and on edge. The FBI says that terrorists could be targeting four major U.S. cities: Houston, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington. Reporter Jim Wagner, from our affiliate CLTV joins us now. He is in Chicago with a look at this story. Good morning.</s>JIM WAGNER, CLTV CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. I tell you what, the FBI says the threat may be vague at this point, but all the hospitals here in the city of Chicago, I can tell you, on heightened alert. Some more prepared than others. What you're looking at right behind me is a bioterrorism unit at the University of Chicago Hospital. They bought this unit after the events of September 11, and it's now included in their everyday emergency preparedness plan. Now, joining us to talk more about this is Dr. Jeff Rhodes. Doctor, thanks taking time out. What is this whole thing about? What is -- what happens if patients come in with those types of symptoms?</s>DR. JEFF RHODES, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO HOSPITAL: What happens, this trailer made so we can decontaminate the patients before they come into the emergency room. If they're exposed to a chemical or biological or radiological hazard, what we would do is we couldn't necessarily take a contaminated patient into the hospital where they would contaminate the other patients. We have to get that, whatever ailment that is, off them, and that's what this unit is used for. Is to shower and to get them clean, so that they can go into the hospital, and treated without hurting the other patients in the hospital.</s>WAGNER: Very interesting, take us through.</s>RHODES: What we would do if you were sick, and a suspected patient. What you would do is come in -- you would stand in this part first right here, where have the patient then disrobe. They need to take off all contaminated clothing. Would go into the chute and it goes into a special barrel, which we used to then seal, and that way everything is kept, you know, clean and kept from contaminated the other people. You would then come in here further -- go through the trailer, with two sets of showers, and the shower heads. The patients would stand here, and we would have two other folks. What they would do is they would be dressed in respirators, full HAZMAT suits like you see all the time. And they would have scrub brushes and have the patient stand here and shower, and they scrub the patient, make sure they're all clean. So no agent is left on them. The patient would then step on through, and have them then sit down here with patient gowns here -- new gowns, where we put -- dress the patient in, and that way the patient's clean. All of the offending agent maybe now off them. We could then take them into the hospital and safely treat them without having to worry about cross- contamination of other patients.</s>WAGNER: Doctor, obviously a lot of people heard about the alert, coming from overseas and through the FBI. What have they been telling you inside the hospital so far?</s>RHODES: We know pretty much probably what you know. That there's an increased awareness and alert of possible, you know, terrorist attack against the hospital. The -- it's a heightened sense of alert. It's a heightened sense of vigilance among the security staff here. As far as the doctors and the nurses go, it's -- it's, you know, everyday business -- as for us.</s>WAGNER: OK, doctor, thanks so much for taking time out. There you have it, Daryn. A lot of hospitals here in Chicago prepared for what might happen for at least these threats when they pop up. Especially one right here at the University of Chicago with this bioterrorism unit all set to go. Live in Chicago, I'm Jim Wagner. Back to you in Atlanta.</s>KAGAN: Jim, thank you very much. A little bit more reassuring when the hospital ready like that.