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Step inside one of the most unique corners of American healthcare as Transmission Interrupted takes you behind the scenes of the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine. In this episode, host Jill Morgan is joined by key members of the Nebraska team—Dr. Katie Willet, Morgan Shradar, and Angie Vasa—to explore how preparedness, partnership, and people form the backbone of the nation’s only dedicated quarantine unit. Listeners will discover the origin story of this 20-bed unit, why it’s different from both home quarantine and traditional hospital isolation, and how its creation was driven by real-world lessons from recent public health emergencies like the Ebola outbreak and COVID-19 pandemic.
From the practical logistics of care (think twice-daily health checks, concierge-level support, and even laundry service) to the psychological challenges of isolation and the intricacies of national and global collaboration, this episode sheds light on the critical thinking and teamwork required to protect both individuals and the community during high-stakes contagious threats. Hear firsthand how the UNMC and Nebraska Medicine team adapts with each new pathogen, leans on the strength of their Omaha community, and continuously trains to stay a step ahead of the next big infectious risk—demonstrating “Nebraska nice” even in the toughest circumstances.
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Visit Transmission Interrupted on the web at netec.org/podcast.
Guests
Morgan Shradar, RN, BSN, MPH
Nursing Professional Development Specialist- Nebraska Biocontainment Unit
Co-Director- National Disaster Medical Disaster Infectious Disease Training Program
Subject Matter Expert NETEC & Task 2 Lead - NICS
Morgan Shradar has more than 20 years of experience in the operating room and more than 14 years of experience with the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit. She has previous experience as a lead surgical nurse where she managed procedural areas (endoscopy, surgery, cardiac cath lab/interventional radiology, preop/pacu, and sterile processing). She has also managed process improvement initiatives for supply chain improvements and patient experience within procedural areas at Nebraska Medicine Bellevue. Morgan is a nurse coordinator with the Regional Emerging Special Pathogens Treatment Center (RESPTC). She develops and leads the education and training for the RESPTC team, including education meetings, quarterly trainings, exercises, and drill development. Morgan collaborates on the education and training and policy development for the National Quarantine Unit. She actively participated in the repatriation efforts of guests from Wuhan, China, and the Diamond Princess, who required care for COVID-19. Further, she is a subject matter expert with NETEC and partners with others to evaluate readiness for RESPTCs and works with long-term care focus groups to develop education and just-in-time resources to enhance LTC setting readiness. In 2020/2021, she partnered with LTC and skilled nursing facilities on evaluating the current COVID-19 infection control practices within facilities across Nebraska. She has also partnered with Nebraska Medicine to educate and train medical teams on donning/doffing PAPRs and worked with procedural areas on developing their PAPR protocols. Morgan is a task lead with NICS, which is focused on developing XR/AR education for the small and rural hospital on infection control practices within the sterile processing department. She is also the co-director of the National Disaster Medical Response Infectious Disease Training program, which has focused on educating and training the NDMS teams on infection control practices to ready them for deployment to both austere and hospital missions. Morgan collaborates in program development and partnerships with various organizations focused on infectious disease education and training. Morgan began her career in 2000 as an operating room nurse for Nebraska Medicine, where she joined the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit team in 2009 to play an integral role in treating patients with Ebola Virus Disease during the 2014-2015 activation.
Dr. Katie Willet, MD, FACEP
Associate Professor, UNMC Department of Emergency Medicine
Associate Program Director, UNMC Department of Emergency Medicine
Health Security Fellowship Director, UNMC Department of Emergency Medicine
Katie Willet, MD (she/her/hers), is an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine. She is one of the residency assistant program directors and takes part in the development of disaster preparedness and biopreparedness training for residents and other multidisciplinary trainees, both within UNMC and our external partners. She has interests in austere/wilderness medicine, disaster medicine, and biopreparedness. She also serves as the health security fellowship program director and co-creator with several partners within the Global Center for Health Security. With this, she takes part in preparedness planning, training development, and response. Similarly, she is involved with several different research and training projects with the Global Center for Health Security as well as teaching regionally about disaster preparedness. She is an assistant medical director for the National Quarantine Unit and a health security scholar with the Global Center for Health Security.
Angie Vasa, MSN, RN
Director, Readiness Consultations and Metrics Development, NETEC
Director, Emergency Preparedness and Special Pathogen Programs, Nebraska Medicine
Program Director, Region VII Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center
Angela Vasa, MSN, RN, is the Director of Emergency Preparedness and Special Pathogen Programs at Nebraska Medicine. She serves as the Director of Consulting Services and Metrics Development at NETEC and is the Program Director for the Region VII Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center. Angela is also a scholar in the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Her nursing background includes over a decade of clinical experience with specialized expertise in the areas of trauma, critical care, solid organ transplant, and high-consequence infectious diseases. She joined the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit team in 2009, where she has cared for patients with Ebola virus disease and Lassa Fever and continues to be an active clinical member while serving as the program director.
Host
Jill Morgan, RN
Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, GA
Jill Morgan is a registered nurse and a subject matter expert in personal protective equipment (PPE) for NETEC. For 35 years, Jill has been an emergency department and critical care nurse, and now splits her time between education for NETEC and clinical research, most of it centering around infection prevention and personal protective equipment. She is a member of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), ASTM International, and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)
Resources
About NETEC
A Partnership for Preparedness
The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center’s mission is to set the gold standard for special pathogen preparedness and response across health systems in the U.S. with the goals of driving best practices, closing knowledge gaps, and developing innovative resources.
Our vision is a sustainable infrastructure and culture of readiness for managing suspected and confirmed special pathogen incidents across the United States public health and health care delivery systems.
For more information, visit NETEC on the web.
NETEC Consultation Services
Assess and Advance Your Readiness for Special Pathogens with Free, Expert Consulting.
NETEC offers free virtual and onsite readiness consulting to help health care facilities and EMS agencies prepare for special pathogen events. Our targeted support services are delivered by experts selected and assigned to each inquiry based on the unique needs of your organization. Have a question? Ask a NETEC expert.
For more information, visit NETEC Consultation Services.
