Sen. Bob Casey joined UPMC officials Friday to assure the Pittsburgh region that area facilities are equipped to deal with any possible Ebola cases.
This as Gov. Tom Corbett announced that three Pennsylvanians are being monitored for symptoms; they were on a flight from Cleveland to Dallas with the nurse who tested positive for the virus.
“We have adequate supplies of personal protective equipment to ensure that we can care for the patients that might present here, but the threat is very low here in Western Pennsylvania,” said Dr. Donald Yealy, UMPC's chair of emergency medicine. “Please understand that — the threat is very, very low. We have the equipment and we can protect our workers and the patients right now.”
But Yealy emphasized there are no cases of Ebola in the state at this time. He said the UPMC facilities have always had plans in place to deal with serious infectious illnesses such as Ebola, but after recent events in Dallas, officials have re-examined their plans.
“Like every other hospital or hospital system in the country, in the commonwealth, and in Western Pennsylvania, we are re-preparing and honing our plans to make sure that we identify patients who might have been exposed, who were exposed, who become ill and need very specific treatments,” said Yealy.
For example, the staff most likely to treat any potential Ebola patient are getting training on the correct use of personal protective equipment or PPEs.
“The barriers work, but you have to use them correctly,” said Dr. Carlene Muto. “I think we’ve been doing pretty well here with training of PPE. We probably should add some more focus, which we are now doing, in doffing or taking off the personal protective equipment.”
Ebola is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person, which is why ensuring the PPEs are taken off correctly is critical for medical staff. UPMC officials pointed out it was weaknesses in the system in Dallas that left to nurses being infected, and pointed out two Ebola patients were treated in Atlanta without anyone else becoming infected.
Casey spoke about the need for preparedness but also the importance of support from the federal government, namely financial support. He is pushing for increased investment in hospital preparedness funding. He said the program has been cut by 50 percent since 2003. In the meantime, Casey said everyone just needs to remain vigilant.
“We’ve got to insist that every agency in the federal government is doing what it needs to and that every hospital not just has protocols, not just has a written summary of what they’re supposed to do, but that they’re drilling, they’re practicing, and that they have the resources to deal with any circumstance, including Ebola,” Casey said.
As for the three from Pennsylvania being monitored, none are showing symptoms of Ebola and aren't being quarantined. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention interviewed them, and they are free to return to Pennsylvania. The state's isn't disclosing personal information about them.
