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TeamHealth Responds to Growing National Swine Flu Concerns
Leading Emergency Department Organization Implementing Planned Actions to Address Problem
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., April 28, 2009 –Lynn Massingale, M.D., FACEP, co-founder and executive chairman of national emergency department staffing and management organization TeamHealth, today outlined several action steps in response to the emergence of swine flu in the United States.
“The recent occurrence of swine influenza (H1N1) infections in humans is a public health concern and underscores the need to prepare all U.S. emergency departments (EDs) to respond to a potential pandemic,” said Dr. Massingale, a board-certified emergency physician.
“Since 2006, TeamHealth has been developing and implementing a pandemic influenza preparedness initiative in collaboration with state and federal agencies and many of the almost 300 EDs we serve. As of today, we are undertaking a number of planned actions to help prepare our constituents for a potential pandemic,” he said. “These include the distribution of educational material about swine flu to our affiliated physicians and other caregivers and informing our employees of appropriate steps to take to protect themselves and their families. In addition to reporting any potential or confirmed cases of swine flu to appropriate public health agencies, our national presence uniquely positions TeamHealth to help identify new regions of outbreak.
“I want to extend my gratitude to all TeamHealth-affiliated providers and other emergency caregivers who will play an important role in diagnosing and treating cases of swine flu in order to prevent further spread of the virus. We would like to thank these front-line caregivers who frequently place themselves in harm’s way in an effort to mitigate the very real danger of this disease,” said Dr. Massingale.
Dr. Massingale and the team of TeamHealth-affiliated caregivers responsible for the development and implementation of the organization’s pandemic influenza preparedness initiative are available for interview by the media. Please contact:
Tracy Young
Vice President, Marketing, TeamHealth
800-818-1498
Tracy_Young@teamhealth.com
More information about swine flu, symptoms of the disease and confirmed cases in the U.S. are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at www.cdc.gov/swineflu.
About TeamHealth
Founded in 1979, TeamHealth is headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn. Through its six principal service lines located in 12 regional sites, TeamHealth’s more than 6,200 affiliated healthcare professionals provide emergency medicine, hospital medicine, radiology, teleradiology, urgent care and pediatric staffing and management services to over 550 civilian and military hospitals, clinics and physician groups in 44 states. For more information about TeamHealth call 800.818.1498.