Local hospital prepare to treat Ebola
By Natalie Rubino, MGN Online
Another person in the United States is diagnosed with Ebola, this time a Dallas nurse.
The diagnosis makes the nurse the first person to contract the virus within the United States.
In response to the Dallas nurse contracting Ebola, Governor Rick Scott released a statement today asking every Florida hospital to train health care officials on Ebola treatment safety.
Tallahassee Memorial Hospital says it’s been prepared for a while.
Dr. Bo Manausa is an emergency room doctor at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. If a patient comes in with symptoms of Ebola he could be the one to treat them. And like the nurse diagnosed with Ebola in Dallas, he could also be the one to contract it.
“It does not concern me. I feel very comfortable working here. We have a great protocol set up,” Dr. Manausa said.
A protocol that the hospital has been working hard to implement.
“We were actually ahead of the game with regards to obtaining equipment for protective majors. So we’re supplied and ready,” Dr. Dean Watson, Chief Medical Officer at TMH said.
“It’s all about education and preparedness. Our staff are educated daily and they are prepared,” Dr. Watson added.
TMH also has a plan if a patient comes in with Ebola like symptoms.
“They are immediately put into an isolation unit and our infectious disease control team is called and that’s where further screening will take place,” Dr. Manausa said.
So far no one has been diagnosed with Ebola in Florida and Dr. Manausa says he and his peers aren’t worried about treating a patient with the virus.
“Are some people nervous, of course we’ve had some cases reported in the United States but it’s a very, very rare disease,” he said.
The hospital has enough protective gear to last it two to three days. It will then ask the Centers for Disease Control for assistance.
