We Want YOU for the Orlando Health Decon Team

The Emergency Preparedness department is looking for everyday heroes to join the Orlando Health Decontamination team. Having a Decon Team in place helps hospitals plan for, and respond to, small and large-scale incidents requiring the decontamination of patients exposed to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear agents.

“We need team members from every site to make sure that our organization as a whole is as ready as possible,” says Eric Alberts, Corporate Manager, Emergency Preparedness. “We would like to continue to be ready for whatever kind of situation comes our way.”

Requirements for joining the Orlando Health Decon Team are:

•General good health

•Be able to lift 25 lbs

•Be able to withstand hot and cold temperatures outdoors

•Work around blood, and ill and injured people in a disaster situation

•Maintain annual health screening requirements (TB test and other testing)

•Take the Institute for Learning Online Blood Borne Pathogens (BBP) training course

•Meet annual PPE fit testing requirements

Gina Carrillo, a RN Clinical Nurse IV, is also a member of the Decon training team at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital. “Joining the Decon Team gave me the opportunity to learn, train, and be prepared to respond to potential chemical hazards,” Gina says. “It is rewarding to be part of a team that provides a service to the community and the organization, and it motivates me to be part of a cause that is bigger than myself.”

Team members join the Decon Team to help serve during a time of crisis. “I joined the Decon Team because I wanted to play a vital part in protecting Orlando Health from outside threats,” says Kelley Renier, lead financial counselor, ORMC, and an ORMC Decon Team trainer since 2016. “I wanted to see how we as a hospital band together in the event of a mass casualty.”

Willie Walden, financial counselor, Arnold Palmer Hospital, is also a Decon Team trainer and went through extensive Department of Homeland Security training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness. “I joined this team because I wanted to be a part of something bigger than me,” he says. “I have stayed on this team because I realize how important it is to be prepared for a worst case scenario and be well-equipped to meet it.”

 See SWIFT for more information.