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Show March 24, 1994 7 Hilltop Times health officials concerned about meningitis fatality Hill by Capt. Stan Bruntz Military Public Health Meningococcal disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitides. It is just one of many organisms that can infect the blood or the meninges (the tissue covering the brain and spinal cord). Meningococcal disease is a relatively rare disease, but Utah has been experiencing an increased number of cases. lated incident not related to the cases in the Salt Lake City area, since a different serogroup of organism was isolated. The disease is spread by contact" with saliva, mucus or droplets from the nose and throat of an infected person. Many people carry the bacteria in their nose and throat without signs of illness; however, they may spread the disease to others. These people, rather than identified cases, more often transinmit the disease to non-immu- In 1993, there were 27 identified cases with seven deaths (compared to an average of seven cases per year and so far in 1994, from there have been nine confirmed cases with three deaths in Utah. One of the recent deaths was an employee of Hill AFB. The case at Hill seems to be an iso 1988-1992- ), ne dividuals. It is estimated between 5 percent of the population carry the bacteria. Anyone who is not immune can get meningococcal disease, but it is more common in children and young adults. Meningococcal disease is seen more in the winter and early spring and in situations where there are crowded liv 2-1- Center of Excellence criteria clarified by Wynn Covieo ing conditions. the disease may appear from two to 10 days after infection. Symptoms of meningitis often include fever, intense headache, stiff neck, nausea and vomiting. Changes in behavior such as confusion, sleepiness and being hard to wake up are also important symptoms. In infants, the only signs of meningitis may be irritability, tiredness, poor feeding and they may, or may not, run a fever. Meningococcemia, the blood infection, usually involves a fever and a rash. Anyone who has the symptoms listed above should be seen by a doctor immediately. Individuals who have had close contact with a known case of meningococcal disease, within two weeks of diagnosis, should also contact their physician to discuss the possibility of preventive treatment. A close contact is someone who is a household member of a case; day care center contacts; and anyone who was directly exposed to the patient's oral secretions (saliva), such as through kissing, sharing cigarettes, eating utensils or drinks; The symptoms of - has prolonged exposure to coughing or sneezing (within about two feet) or mouth rescusitation. -to Work center teams now have the criteria to know specifically what they have to achieve to achieve the Excellence level of accomplishment. The definition of a work center team remains the same. That is, a WCT is normally comprised of a supervisorwork leader and employees who are involved in the attainment of a common goaL Center-o- f -- Clarified definitions Total Quality Management Office A vaccination is available, but at this time the Utah Dept. of Health is not recommending it because the vaccine does not cover all types of menin- gococcal disease. However, to help stop the spread of meningococcal disease certain precautions should be taken. These precautions include: Anyone with a cold or influenza-lik- e symptoms should be careful to cover their mouths and noses with a tissue when sneezing or coughing. Avoid sharing drinks, food, cigarettes, lip gloss, etc.. These precautions should be especially followed in settings that can lead to these type of activities such as in a bar or club. Anyone having questions should contact Military Public Health, Ext. or the Utah Dept. of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology, Immunization and Communicable Disease Con- trol Programs 801-538-619- 1. D Process Improvement: The WCT must be able to show that QAF principles are used within the work place and that a recognized improvement cycle has been completed. Examples of recognized improvement cycles are the Boeing, IRS and DTA models, or equivalent. As a minimum, each key process will have documentation reflecting the process flow, measurement indicators and a repeatable review cycle. The imdocumentation should outline the short-termislong-terwith the provement goals that align sion of the WCT. The areas clarified by the Integrated Product A key element of our Quality Air Force implementation has been the establishment of our natural Team include the following: work center teams. A Center of Excellence is a Key process identification: The WCT will idenall of their key, processes, which are defined as that recognizes tify specific level accomplishment achieved. work has center team what a natural processes that are measurable and have a significant Recognition The three recognition levels remain the same with a for for existed has COEs the The criteria couple affect on accomplishing the work center team's first level (bronze) for one key process; second identificathe for mission. of years, but the criteria key process imlevel are will ensure WCT and (silver) for 50 percent of the key processes; and D Skills training: The process they tion, skills training, quality training : s level (gold) for all key processes met within the third defined. force skilled work a trained and by identifying provement has not been clearly WCT. e the made center-widto A key perform up specific job skills required Integrated Product Team The Quality Council members were in agreement of representatives from several directorates has process(es) and the method used to verify that skills that provide a uniform me-- , an on been in the process of clarifying the requirements based training is being gtyen ongoigbasis. ans ofthe improvedthecriteria willand recognition levels progress tracking D Quality, training: The WCTwOl ensure that and reviewing the criteria for COE identification and was also that the improved WCTs. of Hill's It of the one " least agreed The" and at of pro-results these efforts each team member has completed designation. criteria will help WCTs focus on key processes posed changes to the COE criteria were presented basic quality courses. The IPT also recommended the right thing for our customers while we do team center's doing building to i the Quality Council on March 4 and were ap- that they attend one of the it right the first time. workshops. proved for implementation. m m levels - New Restaurant Opens in Hoy 3 ' a 'Spring Into- - ; Wr .,'1 MM RESTAURANTS 4 i "j We put all our eggs in one basket. Come and pick one out for an EXTRA z DISCOUNT! til restaurNashville, Tenn. Shoney's Restaurants, America's favorite family-styl- e 5600 South. 1780 at West in ant, is proud to announce a new location Roy, Utah 1994. March The restaurant opened 14, "We will feel right at home in Roy," said Frank Brown, Shoney's Restaurants franchisee. "We believe the people here will enjoy Shoney's broad selection of food, our low prices and our friendly service." The Northern Utah territory is locally owned and operated by Brown and his management team. Shoney's Restaurants began in 1959 in Madison, Tenn., with one store and has family restaurants. grown' to more than 900 Shoney's is famous for a wide selction of entrees including steaks, seafood, chickbreaken, hamburgers and sandwiches, spaghetti and a popular afternoons the in and fruit salad a bar and in fast and fruit bar the mornings soup, and evenings. Special menu selections are available to children and seniors. Shoney's desserts are famous for providing tasty and plentiful portions of delicious choices with only the finest ingredients. Succulent strawberry pie, delicious hot fudge cake and apple pie are just a few of the desserts available. "We think the desserts at Shoney's rival what Mom used to make," smiled meals for the Brown. "Of course, there is something for everyone-ev- en &x full-servi- J A Shorts la lo The latest styles and colors in diet-consciou- - Vim all 'sizes "It's fun to eat at Shoney's," he added. The restaurants are comfortable places to eat with appealing colors and plenty of plants and glass decorating the interior. Shoneys' restaurants can accomodate approximately 200 customers-s- o go ahead and bring your friends. 0 full-- and part-tim- e employees from the local community Approximately will for be open breakfast, lunch and dinner seven will staff the restaurant, which days a week. - This is the second store for Frank Brown. The first opened in April 1993 in Lay-toUtah. Shoney's Inc., Shoney's Restaurants is a division of Nashville, Tennessee-basea major diversified food service operator and franchisor of more than 1,800 restaurants, with approximately $20 billion in systemwide sales, including Shoney's, Captain D's, Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken, Fifth Quarter Restaurants and Pargo's. Shoney's, Inc., is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SHN. 85-10- HOURS: 4 Mon.-Sa- t. 10-6- " n, d lie. , |