The Maine Center for Disease Control has elevated its monitoring of Ebola after a patient at a Texas hosptial died from the disease and two health care workers have contracted it. The agency's director, Dr. Sheila Pinette, is assuring Mainers health care workers here are ready to handle Ebola should it arrive in the state.
Pinette says hospitals large and small are getting regular updates on best practices, which include isolating patients with Ebola-like symptoms and using contact precautions.
"And at that time if the resources at these small critical hospitals are not any that they can feel confident for staff to handle, then we are working on a system to transport to other hospitals," she says.
Pinette says state agencies are preparing to expect the unexpected.
The CDC is communicating with a number of different groups, including the Maine Emergency Management Agency. Director Bruce Fitzgerald says he is coordinating with different branches of government and county emergency managers.
"We're helping with getting the message out, making sure people understand precautions and are reviewing their plans," he says.
Fitzgerald says state agencies have been building partnerships for years to ensure sure they're ready in the event of a public health emergency.
