U.S. hospitals not prepared for Ebola threat

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With reports that a nurse who treated Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan in Dallas has been infected, one thing urgently needs to be made clear: Our hospitals are not prepared to confront the deadly virus.
RoseAnn DeMoro, writing in The Washington Post

Ebola – RNs Call for Highest Standards for Protective Equipment, including Hazmat Suits, Training

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Following news Sunday that the first U.S. nurse has now tested positive for the deadly Ebola virus, National Nurses United called for all hospitals to have in place the highest standard of optimal protections, including Hazmat suits, and hands-on training to protect all RNs, other hospital personnel to confront Ebola.
National Nurses United
Oct 13, 2014

National Nurses Union rallies in Oakland after Dallas nurse diagnosed with Ebola

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The union said hundreds of nurses are expected to join a national discussion Wednesday that will address hospital preparations for Ebola, and the training nurses are receiving. So far, they say, the data received in the union's survey of more than 1,900 registered nurses at more than 750 hospitals in 46 states and the District of Columbia wasn't encouraging.
Rick Hurd, Contra Costa Times

Ebola: RNs Call for Highest Standards for Protective Equipment, including Hazmat Suits and Training

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Large group of nurses holding sign "Stop Ebola Now"
Following news Sunday that the first U.S. nurse has now tested positive for the deadly Ebola virus, National Nurses United called for all hospitals to have in place the highest standard of optimal protections, including Hazmat suits, and hands-on training to protect all RNs, other hospital personnel to confront Ebola.
National Nurses United
Oct 12, 2014

British Hospitals Plan Ebola Drills

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ealth-care providers in developed countries are finally waking up to the fact that they need to prepare for imported Ebola cases like those seen this week in Dallas and Madrid. In the United Kingdom, where no cases have been reported, two major hospitals are beginning drills this weekend to simulate the arrival of an Ebola patient, according to the Daily Mail. The paper noted some hospitals had not yet received recommended protective gear.
John Tozzi, Bloomberg Business Week

Workers Fearful of Ebola Want You to Know How Personal They Get With Body Fluids

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As many as 200 workers at New York’s LaGuardia Airport began striking late Wednesday as part of their efforts to gain a contract with Atlanta’s Air Serv, an airport contractor for Delta Air Lines, using the attention Ebola has received as a way to address the nastier aspects of their jobs.
Justin Bachman, Bloomberg Business Week

As Officials Track Texas Ebola Victim's Contacts, Criticism and Questions Mount

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Public health officials are reaching out to as many as a hundred people who may have come into contact with the first Ebola patient to be diagnosed in the U.S., quizzing them about their interactions with the man, who has been identified as Thomas Eric Duncan.
Karen Weintraub, National Geographic

U.S. Nurses Say They Are Unprepared To Handle Ebola Patients

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Nurses argue that inadequate preparation could increase the chances of spreading Ebola if hospital staff fail to recognize a patient coming through their doors, or if personnel are not informed about how to properly protect themselves.
Julie Steenhuysen, Reuters