Norton Seeks Information From D.C. Hospitals On Ebola Preparedness
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released a letter Norton sent to District of Columbia hospitals seeking to ensure they are "fully prepared should an Ebola patient walk through their doors." She said that the purpose of her letter was to see if specific assistance is needed from the federal government. In her letter, Norton asked if hospitals have protective equipment that meets Centers for Disease Control (CDC) standards; have adequate supplies of the authorized full-body hazmat suits; are engaging in continuous interactive training with personnel who are exposed to patients with infectious diseases; have a protocol in place to immediately screen and quarantine patients; have properly equipped isolation rooms; have trained non-medical personnel, such as ambulance personnel; and have protocols for possible transfers to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or elsewhere, should the hospital be unable to provide necessary care.
Norton said that although D.C. has some of the best hospitals in the nation, a readiness review is in the best interest of the public. Yesterday, Norton said the U.S. needs more regional hospitals specializing in care for the most deadly infectious diseases, and said that emergency health care workers, nurses, and doctors nationwide should have more specialized training on infectious diseases like Ebola. She said the CDC should do video conference meetings with hospitals across the country to ensure that frontline health care workers and ambulance personnel, who come in contact and do the initial screening, are trained in Ebola screening and isolation procedures.
Norton said that among the four hospitals nationwide equipped to deal with Ebola, there are only 19 beds, collectively. She said the specialized NIH unit in Bethesda has two beds, and that the infected Dallas nurse, Nina Pham, was probably transferred out of the Dallas region to keep the Atlanta hospital from being overwhelmed.
This week, Norton cosigned a letter to House appropriators urging them to restore funding to NIH and to CDC.
Norton's letter to the hospitals follows:
October 17, 2014
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to help ensure that all the hospitals in this city are fully prepared should an Ebola patient walk through their doors and to learn if specific assistance is needed from the federal government. We applaud the District of Columbia Department of Health for its work with hospitals to prepare in case of Ebola patients here. We know that you and your hospital share our commitment to protecting the residents in the District of Columbia and region from this threat to public health. As you are aware, the first case of Ebola has been diagnosed in the United States, and at least two nurses who interacted with this patient also have been diagnosed with Ebola.
According to news reports, there was a communications breakdown between health providers who learned that the patient had recently traveled from West Africa and the care team that ultimately sent the patient home without considering Ebola as a possible diagnosis. The patient did not have health insurance. We do not know if that information influenced the initial decision to send him home. What we now know is that all appropriate steps must be taken to ensure that there are no further dangerous lapses.
As you know, health care workers, along with those living with individuals who have Ebola, are at highest risk for Ebola. Public safety depends first on optimal protection of the health and safety of these workers.
I therefore ask that you answer the following questions and respond by Friday, October 24, 2014:
• Does your hospital have protective equipment for Ebola that meets the standards prescribed by the Centers for Disease Control?
• Does your hospital have adequate supplies of full-body hazmat suits that meet the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F1670 standard for blood penetration, that meet the ASTM F1671 standard for viral penetration and that leave no skin exposed or unprotected, and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-approved powered air purifying respirators with an assigned protection factor of at least 50 – or a higher standard as appropriate?
• Has your hospital had continuous interactive training with medical professionals, and is there also continuous updated training and education for all medical professionals that is responsive to the changing nature of Ebola? This would entail continuous interactive training and expertise from facilities where state of the art disease containment is occurring.
• Does your hospital have a protocol in place to immediately screen patients for fever and place them in separate waiting areas until further screening can be done?
• Does your hospital have properly equipped isolation rooms to ensure patient, visitor, and staff safety? Do you have proper procedures for disposal of medical waste and linens after use?
• Have you trained the appropriate non-medical personnel, such as ambulance personnel, on specific precautions to take in case a patient is diagnosed with Ebola?
• Have you arranged for possible transfer of a person at risk for Ebola to National Institutes of Health or elsewhere should you be unable to appropriately provide the necessary care?
I am confident that the hospitals in the District of Columbia will respond appropriately to contain Ebola as long as providers are properly prepared. I ask for the requested information so that I can assist our hospitals to be fully prepared to meet the concerns about Ebola.
Thank you for your assistance and for your commitment to protecting the residents of the District of Columbia. I look forward to your urgent and timely response.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Holmes Norton