To a large extent, healthcare facilities' efforts to create a plan for Ebola have been exercises in improvisation, according to an article on the Insurance Journal website.
In Newark, N.J., a hospital moved its Ebola operation into a mobile medical shelter ordinarily used during natural disasters.
In Dallas, Texas, three hospital systems pooled resources to create a treatment center in a defunct intensive care unit.
There is no tried-and-true way to build an Ebola ward, according to the article. Efforts have been guided by principals from clinics in Africa and the few full biocontainment facilities in the U.S.
Ebola treatment units need a “hot” zone where patients can be isolated, a “cold” zone kept free of anything that might be tainted with the virus, and a “warm” zone where workers can peel off protective gear while spotters watch for any small break in protocol, the article said.
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