Treating every patient with dignity and acting quickly to prevent the spread of measles

The patient called the clinic and was worried about possibly being sick with measles.

That’s when Brittani Harris and her co-workers at UCHealth Quincy Medical Center jumped into action.

Measles is highly contagious, so Harris and her teammates took immediate action to protect themselves and other patients while compassionately caring for the sick person. The staffers encouraged the patient to come in for testing. Then Harris, an urgent care technician lead, and her teammates prepared a negative-pressure room near the medical center’s side entrance to reduce the risk of exposing other patients.

“My team and I gathered supplies and set up the room,” said Harris. “We showed it to the provider for approval so we wouldn’t need to go back and forth once the patient arrived.”

When the patient reached the facility, staff members met them in the parking lot. The workers were wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE). They guided the patient into the designated room where Harris began the intake process.

“I felt comfortable because of my PPE,” Harris said. “Reviewing our annual ULearn training videos really helped. They seemed tedious at first, but in that moment, I was grateful for the preparation.”

The patient began feeling unwell during the blood draw. Harris didn’t want to leave the room.

“I improvised,” she said. “I used damp napkins to cool the patient’s neck, and they said that they felt better right away. I kept talking to distract them and even used a curtain so they couldn’t see the rest of the blood draw.”

She emphasized the importance of treating every patient with dignity.

“Isolation doesn’t mean exclusion. Everyone deserves care and compassion, no matter their symptoms,” Harris said.

The tests confirmed measles. Staff immediately reported the results to the state and UCHealth leadership.

“A highlight of this situation was the call from our upper management after they reviewed our report,” said Harris. “They told us we did everything right. There was no, ‘you did everything right, but…’ from our leadership and the state officials. We followed the protocols put in place, and that’s what mattered.”

Across all UCHealth facilities, this same level of vigilance and compassion guides every response. Teams are staying ahead of potential risks, adhering to best practices for infection prevention and treating everyone who walks through our doors with exceptional care.