Is The US Healthcare System Ready for Ebola?

With the first US-diagnosed Ebola patient passing away yesterday, many are people are now asking what efforts the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is doing to help prevent the virus from spreading throughout the United States. On October 7^th the CDC released a news release in an effort to help reassure Americans that Ebola, although a serious disease, is a threat that the United States healthcare system is prepared to handle. While the CDC admits that “until we stop the Ebola outbreak there [in Africa], we will not get to zero risk of Ebola here,” the CDC wants the public to know that they are working closely with hospitals and healthcare providers across the nation; working diligently to ensure that our healthcare system is prepared to handle the Ebola threat and safely treat any potential Ebola patients.

Even though healthcare providers are trained and well-versed when it comes to infection control procedures, which tend to be implemented as a part of their daily routines, it can never hurt to have too much information. The CDC explained that:

“Ebola is a serious disease and people are scared. It’s normal to be scared. We want health care workers to have a healthy respect for the risk that any lapse in infection control procedures could have. We want them to channel their acute awareness of the disease into being rigorously meticulous about infection control.”

As such, the CDC is working on training healthcare facilities across the nation in preparation for a potential Ebola outbreak here in the United States (as well as holding training courses for medical professionals planning to deploy and help with the outbreak for in Africa). In addition to keeping communication lines open and disseminating information, the CDC is holding webinars and conference calls, sending out Health Alert Network notices, communicating via social media, and even helping hospitals conduct drills to make sure that their staff is properly prepared to handle a patient who might have Ebola. The CDC wants to make sure that everyone is well informed about Ebola (and it symptoms, transmission, and prevention methods) and the healthcare system is trained to recognize any potential cases and be able to respond according to infection control protocols.

Whether you work in a hospital or another type of healthcare facility or you are thinking about going over to Africa to answer the urgent call for help, Mountainside Medical Equipment carries a wide range of isolation supplies and personal protective gear to help reduce the risks of exposure. We even offer an all-inclusive Ebola Protection Kit that comes with a variety of supplies to help reduce your risks of exposure to blood and/or any other potentially infectious bodily fluids.

Sources:

http://blogs.cdc.gov/cdcdirector/2014/10/07/are-americas-hospitals-health-care-facilities-and-health-care-providers-ready-for-ebola/

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/safety-training-course/index.html