Huntington Health Leads Health System Infectious Disease Drill

Huntington Health recently led its first multi-facility infection prevention pathogens drill with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and external emergency services and public health partners.

The exercise centered on a potential scenario involving the Lassa Virus, a viral hemorrhagic fever endemic to West Africa. The drill featured multiple partners, including the L.A. County Emergency Medical Services, Pasadena and L.A. County public health departments and Cedars-Sinai’s Special Pathogens team.

The drill tested protocols for identifying, isolating, and safely transporting a high-risk patient from the Huntington Hospital Emergency Department to Cedars-Sinai, where the Special Pathogens Treatment Center team would receive the patient.

As one of only thirteen federally funded regional special pathogens treatment centers for Ebola and other infectious diseases, Cedars-Sinai is responsible for receiving patients who need care from California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and U.S. territories in the Pacific. The drill strengthened the complex coordination required between facilities, emergency services and public health departments across the region, helping ensure readiness for real-world infectious disease emergencies.

“These drills are important because we have a responsibility to be prepared for high-risk scenarios,” said Katie Jones-Stathatos, director of infection prevention and control for Huntington Health. “Hands-on practice builds muscle memory and helps master the protocols that protect both our patients and staff.”

The drill follows a similar exercise completed last year with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital, underscoring how teams from across the healthcare system can leverage collective knowledge and resources to advance patient care throughout the region.

Jones-Stathatos added: “The process we now have in place with Cedars-Sinai and our emergency and public health partners, for this type of exposure, ensures our community has access to safe and immediate care when they need it the most.”

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