Not from Chicago, but featuring former WLS Channel 7 reporter Roberta Baskin, is a three-part story she reported on at WJLA Channel 7 in Washington, DC about a little-known disease known clinically as “nosocomial infections” which claim about 80,000 lives and affect 2 million others in hospitals across the nation.

Note: Roberta Baskin previous reported on this at WLS Channel 7, which can be seen here: https://youtu.be/kZrBZI2O-jQ

Includes:

Part 1, with countdown and news open (voiceover by ??); anchors are Susan King and Paul Berry, who introduces this part; Roberta starts off by noting that the reason it’s “secret” is because of its being classified by doctors and nurses as “complications” – yet are wholly preventable. Common hospital-borne diseases include urinary tract infections, surgical wound infections, pneumonia and bloodstream infections. The cost of hospital-borne infections amount to about 8,000,000 extra days in the hospital, and billion in extra costs. Among those interviewed are Dr. Peter Heseltine, infection control specialist at a major Los Angeles hospital; Lisa Hinds, a staph infection victim; epidemiologist Dr. Tom Safranek; this part ends by Roberta previewing an interview with a person in charge of hospital infection control for the next part.

Part 2, introduced by Paul, spotlights how stated hospital protocols are in cognitive dissonance with actions of medical staff. Dr. Diane Fleming, Biosafety Officer at an area hospital, is in charge of overseeing hospital staff, and she explains how she enforces such oversight – and how some staff don’t follow simple pre-surgical procedures such as hand washing. Dr. Heseltine shows how such a procedure is to be done, and Dr. Elaine Larson, the “Guru of Hand Washing,” explains the trajectory of bacteria, with two samples contrasting hand-washing with those not. Roberta gives a demonstration with “Clue Spray,” and various pupils in Dr. Larson’s class are also interviewed. At the end of this part, Roberta mentions that doctors generally wash their hands less than nurses in-between contact with patients.

Susan introduces Part 3, which shows how the process of properly sterilizing equipment can also play a part in reducing hospital-borne infections – but that some new infections are immune to any treatment, or any antibiotics that are developed in response, and “super-bugs” that arise before any new drug could be developed to combat them. A clip of an old newsreel about Alexander Flemming, the discoverer of penicillin (voiceover by Phil Tonken), is shown, leading to an anaylsis of “the vicious cycle” between super-germs and super-drugs. Dr. Safranek, infection control specialist Patricia Milon, infection victim Nancy Sampson and neonatologist Dr. Kenneth Harkavy give their analyses on this situation. Also spotlighted are how surgeons are to be garbed and what they are not to wear while operating.

“It’s the disease of being taken care of.”

This aired on local Washington, DC TV in 1988.

This was donated to the Museum of Classic Chicago Television as part of the Roberta Baskin Collection.

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