Hermiston Herald
May 21, 2002

Army purchases additional antidote, 200 adult doses to be distributed to Good Shepherd

By Frank Lockwood
Staff writer

HERMISTON - The Army has agreed to purchase bulk nerve gas antidote for
local hospitals, enough medicine for 400 adult doses, at a savings of about
$25,500, according to Oregon Health Services.

Bryan Hopkins of OHS said the medicine is expected to arrive in about three
weeks, and will be distributed in the following manner: Good Shepherd
Medical Center in Hermiston, 200 adult doses; Saint Anthony's in Pendleton,
150 doses; Pioneer Hospital in Heppner, 50 doses.

In the past, hospitals normally kept a limited amount of the medicine on
hand, for use in several different common hospital procedures. Now, the Army
has decided to provide the extra medicine as a safety measure in view of
remote possibility of a major accident at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. The
Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, located at the depot, anticipates
beginning the incineration of chemical warefare agent in the year 2003.

The medicine, which would have cost $30,000 will now cost about $4,500,
Hopkins said, because of the Army's vast purchasing power, which results
because the Army buys the product for its facilities worldwide.

Depot spokesperson Mary Binder said that the Army also keeps on hand
medicine to treat four to six depot workers for 24 to 48 hours, "just in
case there would be some kind of event" involving chemical agent.

If the Army ever needs to transport agent-afflicted workers to the hospital,
they do not want to take medication away from the hospital's pharmacy,
Binder said. In addition to bulk agent, the depot keeps auto-inject kits on
hand, and could send those along with afflicted workers.

Local first responders also have antidote auto injection kits, Binder said.
The auto-injection kits normally contain one adult dose. Children and people
with certain infirmities, however, require measured doses, which are
normally drawn from the larger, bulk-sized containers.

Antidote used for the Army's workers is regulated in a different manner than
that used by the hospitals.

When the medicine's expiration date arrives, the Army has the medicine
retested by FDA certified personnel, Binder said.

The hospitals do not have that option of re-testing the medicine used for
community residents. Hopkins said that the state will now budget for
replacement medicine as the antidote expires.