Norton Issues Suggestions After Response From D.C. Hospitals on Ebola Preparedness

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today offered some steps District of Columbia hospitals should take to bolster their Ebola preparedness, following a response to a letter Norton sent to D.C. hospitals asking about their Ebola preparedness. Norton said that she was pleased that the D.C. Department of Health had been proactive on Ebola since August and that the preparedness checklist she recommended showed that D.C. hospitals have achieved basic preparedness for Ebola. The response, collected from the hospitals by the D.C. Hospital Association, said that all ten hospitals have basic preparedness procedures and equipment in place. Their reply can be found here.

The purpose of Norton's inquiry to the hospitals was to get further assistance or resources from the federal government, if necessary. Norton said that D.C. hospitals understand that Dulles is one of only five airports where travelers from West Africa can enter the United States. She therefore is sending the following suggestions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as to the D.C. Hospital Association. Norton asked CDC to elaborate on them and advise hospitals and clinics.

All outpatient clinics, not just the emergency departments (ED), should be trained and equipped for Ebola patients. Patients who report symptoms similar to Ebola can be easily identified, as they are often asked if they have been to West Africa recently. Moreover, patients with symptoms should not be in a room with other patients.

CDC should help health clinics provide staff with a thorough demonstration of treating a patient suspected of having Ebola. Hospital personnel are now given trainings through online modules or in town hall settings where the staff can ask questions of professionals. However, the problem that occurred in Dallas, Texas, for example, was that there were no demonstrations on how to properly suit up and protect yourself from infection when treating a patient with Ebola symptoms.

Medical nurses and residents have complained to Norton's office about getting inconsistent, incorrect or insufficient information. Every hospital and clinic should have a preparedness team to provide correct, up-to-date information on treating and preventing Ebola transmission.

Finally, the CDC should do video conference meetings with clinics across the country to ensure that frontline health care workers, ambulance personnel, and patients are trained in Ebola screening and isolation procedures. Norton noted that millions of Americans get their health care at clinics, not only hospitals.