SLU Biosecurity Expert Prepares 32,000 Nurses for COVID-19
03/24/2020
Among many in the SLU community who are putting their expertise to work to tackle the COVID-19 epidemic is director of SLU's Institute for Biosecurity, Terri Rebmann, Ph.D., who will this week address more than 32,000 nurses via webinar and answer their questions about the virus.
Mobilized to quickly educate health professionals about best practices and to share evidence-based research about dealing with infectious diseases, Rebmann has been preparing for this work her whole career as a public health expert in biosecurity, emerging diseases and disaster preparedness.
At the American Nurses Association (ANA) National COVID-19 webinar, Rebmann will address nurses across the U.S. She’s already received 7,100 questions from concerned nurses in advance of the session.
“There’s a lot of worry and concern. Nurses want to know what to do when they start to run out of personal protective equipment, if there’s risk to their family members and how to plan if they don’t have enough medical staff.”
These are the types of questions to which Rebmann can offer scientific, evidence-based knowledge to combat fears.
“Right now I’m seeing all of these nurses’ questions. They have legitimate concerns. But, what we can offer is the scientific piece of the puzzle.”
To nurses, Rebmann offers her best advice and shares her gratitude.
"This is a novel coronavirus and we are still learning about how it spreads and the best methods to control it," Rebmann said. "I’m sharing the most current, scientifically-based advice we have about how healthcare personnel can protect themselves, their families and their patients during this pandemic, even as we know that CDC recommendations and guidelines are likely to be updated as we gain new information about the virus.
“Thank you,” Rebmann said. “Thank you for being willing to continue providing the highest quality nursing care to patients during these unprecedented times.”