A Dallas nurse contracted Ebola at the same hospital that made headlines last week. What are the best ways to pursue treatment plans in the U.S. without endangering health care workers? Also, Los Angeles police intentionally over-reported the number of officers or patrol cars available to answer service calls, according to a report. Then, World-champion triathalete, Erin Beresini shares her world of obstacle course running with her latest book.
How should the US health system handle Ebola?
A Dallas nurse has become infected with the Ebola virus after treating Thomas Duncan, the Liberian patient who fell to the disease. The Dallas hospital at the center of both cases has faced criticism about improperly handling Duncan -- he was at first turned away from the hospital even after disclosing his travel history and having his temperature read at 103 degrees.
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital says its health care workers were trained in CDC Ebola protocol, but that an unknown breach caused a nurse to become infected. CDC director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden says that it’s difficult to safely care for Ebola patients -- as a result of this infection, experts are considering adopting more universal measures for Ebola treatment in the U.S. or isolating treatment to four specific hospitals.
While other Ebola cases have been directed to hospitals in Atlanta and Nebraska, the Dallas cases represents a different issue -- patients who became infected or contracted the virus in the United States instead of West Africa. How contagious is Ebola? What are the best ways to pursue treatment plans in the U.S. without endangering health care workers?
Guest:
Dr. Angela Hewlett, M.D., a physician specializing in infectious diseases and assistant medical director for the Nebraska Biocontainment Patient Care Unit at the Nebraska Medical Center. She has written a piece for the Washington Post published over the weekend of her experience treating an Ebola patient in the US.
LAPD uses “ghost cars” to exaggerate the number of officers on patrol
Los Angeles police intentionally over-reported the number of officers or patrol cars available to answer service calls, according to a report released Friday by the inspector general of the Police Commission. The investigation found officers in at least five out of the LAPD's 21 patrol divisions to have engaged in the practice. Instead of patrolling the streets, they were at their stations performing a variety of tasks.
In addition, patrol cars that were supposed to be out responding to emergency calls were actually parked at the stations. LAPD requires that all service calls be addressed within seven minutes--a change put in place in reaction to criticism over the department's slow response time in the 1980s.
Guest:
Sharon McNary, KPCC’s Politics Reporter who’s been following the story
Tim Williams, founder of TT Williams Investigations, a private investigation firm in Los Angeles; Retired LAPD Senior Detective Supervisor (Robbery-Homicide Division), 1974-2003; Expert on police procedure and use-of-force for state and federal court
Antibiotic resistance: a growing problem? New Frontline report investigates
Antibiotics revolutionized medicine in the modern era, yet the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has become a looming concern across the globe. Annually, approximately two million Americans are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and 23,000 die.
In a new report entitled The Trouble with Antibiotics, Frontline investigates the issue from two different perspectives. First, the program goes to farms in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Texas in order to determine the prevalence and role of antibiotics in our food. Then, an interview with the parents of a patient who died at the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center during a superbug outbreak explores how antibiotic-resistant bacteria affect those infected. The Trouble with Antibiotics airs Tuesday, October 14 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and will stream in full, for free, online.
Are antibiotic-resistant bacteria something that you think about when talking to your doctor? Would you change the medicines you take or the food you eat if you knew they were adding to antibiotic-resistance? What do you think of superbug outbreaks at hospitals?
Guest:
David Hoffman, Frontline correspondent, “The Trouble with Antibiotics” - airs Tuesday, October 14 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and will stream in full, for free, online.
Victims of break-ins recount coming face-to-face with prowlers
"I woke up very early this morning to the sensation of hands tentatively feeling up the length of my legs and a man standing over me." Last week, Venice resident Tracy Moore was the victim of a "hot prowl" - the term for break-ins that happen when residents are home.
She recounts the experience for the blog Jezebel that, luckily, ended without harm for her, her husband and their 4-year-old daughter. The man left the bedroom of Moore and her husband as quickly as he came, but went to their living room and had a seat. Moore called 911 and the man was arrested. "People ask whether I freaked out. I stayed pretty composed while part of my brain was actively keeping track of details," says Moore. LAPD's Pacific Division says hot prowls are on the rise this year. In August, the division issued an advisory with top tips, but the reports keep coming. Have you been the victim of a hot prowl? Tell us your story.
Guest:
Tracy Moore, Writer and Venice resident
World champion triathalete exposes the wild world of obstacle course racing
World-champion triathalete, Erin Beresini, was down for the count. Her body and mind were broken from the incredible endurance training she’d done to become an Ironman. Uninspired, injured and nowhere near running a race again, a friend recommended obstacle course racing (OCR). There was less of a focus on endurance, and more on agility and strength. No longer surrounded by lean and muscular athletes, she was hurled into a world of the heavy-set and piercings -- regular people out to challenge themselves and have a good time.
The races are muddy and filled with natural and man made obstacles like fire, barbed wire, and dangling, purportedly live, electrical wires. Some races emphasize team above winning like the Tough Mudder -- the race that started it all. Another, like the Spartan race, is all about the physical challenge and a messing with the minds of participants -- like the need to solve a Rubik’s Cube when the finish line is in sight.
In Beresini’s book, “Off Course: Inside the Mad, Muddy World of Obstacle Racing,” she shares her recovery from endurance running and full throttle love of the OCR sort, ultimately competing in the Spartan Ultra Beast -- a marathon length Spartan race. She chronicles the wild ride from the OCR’s humble origins in 2010 to what it is today, just four years later -- a multimillion-dollar business, drawing anyone seeking adventure, challenge and a hearty tussle with lots of thick, wet dirt.
Guest:
Erin Beresini, Author, “Off Course: Inside the Mad, Muddy World of Obstacle Racing;” Endurance athlete and “Outside” magazine journalist