A Montana Doctor Is Humbled By A Month Of Treating Ebola Patients
Dr. George Risi says of his Sierra Leone stint: "I've never seen that much concentrated death at any one time."
In 30 years of practicing medicine, Dr. George Risi has never had an experience as emotionally draining as his month in Sierra Leone.
Risi, 60, is an infectious disease specialist. He has a small practice and he trains staff at Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Montana. The National Institutes of Health's Rocky Mountain Laboratories is right down the road in Hamilton. Researchers there work with hazardous infectious agents — including Ebola — and if one of them got infected, they'd go to St. Patrick.
His life in the mountains of western Montana, with his wife and high-school age son, is very comfortable. He enjoys skiing, hiking and fishing.
But he left that behind for a month this summer to volunteer at one of the busiest Ebola hospitals in Sierra Leone — Kenema General Hospital, the country's largest Ebola treatment center.
Risi had never actually seen a case of Ebola until he went to Sierra Leone. He estimates he treated more than 300 people. About 100 died.
"I've never seen that much concentrated death at any one time," he says. "You'd developed a relationship with these people. You knew them, and to walk in and see a previously healthy, vibrant person, sometimes in their 20s, or sometimes small children, and to find them dead the next morning, that was very, very difficult."
Risi says it was also difficult working 12 hour shifts in the hot, bulky protective gear that health workers wear to avoid becoming infected.
"There were times when you were exposed to a lot of blood, or a lot of diarrhea fluid. And if that were to happen, then you needed to walk away right away," he explains. "There was a chemical sprayer inside the ward so you could spray yourself right then, at that moment."
Risi tried hard to buoy the spirits of the local nurses he worked with. There were no local doctors at the hospital; all had died from Ebola.
Some Ebola survivors stepped in to help.
"There was one, who came in with her husband. Her husband died, but this woman, her name was Martha, and she not only survived, but she improved to the point that she was able to care for a lot of the small children," He says. "There are many kids who have been orphaned, but there was nobody to care for them. And so Martha in particular took on the task of feeding and bathing and just taking care of a half a dozen kids, and that was quite a remarkable thing."
Risi will also remember how grateful people in Sierra Leone were for outside help.
"I can't tell you how many times people just expressed their gratitude. They would see us even in the street, because it was pretty obvious we weren't locals, and people would stop us and they would just say, 'Thank you very much for being here.'"
Risi has since gone to Cuba to train health workers who are now at the hospital in Kenema. Back in Missoula, he's helping Providence St. Patrick Hospital prepare in case it's asked to treat an Ebola patient.
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Transcript
MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
Doctor George Risi has a small practice and a comfortable life in the mountains of western Montana. He recently left that behind for a month to volunteer in Sierra Leone at one of the busiest Ebola hospitals. He recently returned and told his story to Montana Public radio's Eric Whitney.
ERIC WHITNEY, BYLINE: A coffee shop on a Sunday afternoon in Missoula, Montana looks about the same as in any college town. Students hunch over laptops. Friends swap stories at wooden tables over big ceramic mugs. George Risi looks like any other fit, middle-aged guy dropping in for a little pick-me-up. You wouldn't guess he was just back from Sierra Leone.
GEORGE RISI: I was in the Kenema General Hospital. It was the largest of the Ebola treatment centers in the country.
WHITNEY: Risi, an infectious disease specialist, trained staff at Missoula's Providence St. Patrick Hospital on how to treat patients with dangerous diseases. The National Institutes of Health's Rocky Mountain Laboratory happens to be right down the road in Hamilton Montana. Researchers there work with hazardous, infectious agents including Ebola. And if one of them got infected, they'd go to Saint Patrick.
RISI: So that made me a logical choice to be involved in this operative.
WHITNEY: Logical, but Risi had never actually seen a case of Ebola until he went to Sierra Leone. He estimates he treated more than 300 people. About a hundred died.
RISI: In 30-plus years of practicing medicine I've never seen that much concentrated death at any one time, and it was very difficult, especially because you had developed a relationship with these people. You knew them. And to walk in and find a previously healthy, vibrant person - sometimes in their 20s or sometimes small children - and to find them dead the next morning - that was very, very difficult.
WHITNEY: Risi says it was also difficult working 12-hour shifts in the hot, bulky protective gear that health workers have to wear to avoid becoming infected themselves. They always worked in pairs to help each other stay safe.
RISI: There were times when you were exposed to a lot of blood or a lot of diarrhea fluid. If that were to happen, then you needed to walk away right away, and there was a chemical sprayer inside the ward so you could spray yourself, you know, right then at that moment.
WHITNEY: He was concerned about his and his colleagues' personal safety, but ultimately had to have faith in the protective gear he wore and the established protocols healthcare workers are supposed to follow to stay safe.
RISI: And we all watch each other's backs. So I felt comfortable that this was something that was manageable. As someone who is setting the example for others, you have to demonstrate that you can protect yourself.
WHITNEY: Risi also tried hard to buoy the spirits of the local nurses he worked with, many of whom he said are just as good as those in the developed world. There were no local doctors at the hospital. All had died from Ebola. Risi says some patients who survived stepped in to help where they could.
RISI: There was one who came in with her husband. Her husband died, but this woman - her name was Martha, and she not only survived, but she was able to care for a lot of the small children. There were many kids who had been orphaned. Their parents had died from Ebola, and the kids pulled through, but there was nobody to care for them. And so Martha, in particular, took on the task of feeding and bathing and just taking care of a half-a-dozen kids. And that was quite a remarkable thing.
WHITNEY: Risi will also remember how grateful people in Sierra Leone were for outside help.
RISI: And people would stop us, and they would just say thank you very much for being here. They're such a warm, generous people, and that's probably one of the most enduring memories that I have - was just what a wonderful country. It was a good thing to have done.
WHITNEY: Risi has since gone to Cuba to train health workers there before they go to the hospital in Kenema. Now back in Missoula, he's helping the hospital here prepare in case it's asked to treat an Ebola patient. For NPR News, I'm Eric Whitney in Missoula, Montana. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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