Health Watch: Alaska Regional prepared to hunker down in case of volcanic eruption

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Alaska Regional Hospital is preparing to tighten its operations if Mount Spurr erupts.

According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the volcano remains under a “yellow” advisory, even though the threat of an eruption in the coming months appeared to decrease with new info released Thursday from the observatory.

With that in mind, Alaska Regional has been preparing staff and working on transforming its spare clinic space to hold hundreds of supplies, including dozens of cots.

“I’d rather be over-prepared than underprepared,” Sean Murphy, the Emergency Management Specialist at Alaska Regional Hospital, said. “At the end of the day, our goal is to keep working. To keep the hospital open, keep the people in the hospital safe, and keep our machines safe and continuing to work so we can provide patient care.”

Murphy said the primary goal is to minimize the amount of ash that can get inside the hospital. To do that, Murphy said, the hospital will only be using its two primary entrances.

“We are going to defeat the automatic opening of the doors. So, when someone walks into the Arctic entryway, we will open one door, have them come in, and then we won’t open the second door until they have been cleared...we are going to have spritzers, water spritzers, and vacuums. We’re going to have spare clothes if they are covered in ash. We are going to have sticky mats on the floor,” Murphy said.

Murphy adds that staff will also ensure that people are all cleared before the second door opens, allowing them to enter the building.

“The goal is is to, A, track people for safety and, B, minimize the opportunities for ash to get into the hospital,” Murphy said.

The hospital right now, according to Murphy, has a year’s worth of linens ready to be used for staff members and patients, perishable foods, and both fitted and non-fitted N95 masks. Plus, staff will have access to protective eyewear if needed.

On top of that, Murphy said, the hospital is prepared to have staff members stay at the hospital. The hospital, he said, has 110 cots ready to be used by staff members in case of an eruption. Murphy adds that an additional 140 cots are en route from the Lower 48.

If an eruption occurs, Murphy said, a predetermined set of employees will immediately come to the hospital to work, where, he said, they will be prepared to stay for several days.

“Team B will be the folks that will be ready to relieve Team A when it’s deemed all clear, when it’s safe to travel, Team A goes home,” Murphy said. “And the primary job is going to be, hug their families and get a good rest because we’re probably going to need them sooner than later.”

Murphy did note there is a chance that Alaska Regional Hospital could see an uptick in patients following the ash fall, including, he said, people who struggle with chronic health issues.

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