California hospitals are preparing for Ebola while stressing the low risk to patients and healthcare workers, according to the Orange County Register website.
Public health officials say with the right isolation and infection control procedures, all hospitals could safely handle an Ebola patient without exposing staff or other patients. Recommendations for hospitals include private rooms for patients and protective coverings for staff.
UC Irvine Medical Center has spent about two weeks making Ebola preparations. UCI has assembled 55 kits that include instructions, a caution sign to post outside a patient’s door and a waterproof, full-body suit with a face mask, according to the article.
“Ultimately, any U.S. hospital following CDC’s (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) infection control recommendation that’s able to isolate a patient in a private room is capable of safely managing a patient with Ebola virus disease,” said Dr. David Kuhar, who is overseeing the Ebola outbreak for the CDC.
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