How Ready Are Louisiana Hospitals For An Ebola Outbreak

What was once a disease that seemed a million miles away is now right in our own backyard. The Ebola Virus is in America. The fact that professional health care workers have been diagnosed with the disease is very unsettling to many of us. Aren't hospital workers supposed to know how to protect themselves from diseases such as this? Or is this just such a nasty bug that these hospital workers were sent in to do their job and without adequate protection?

I believe the latter. I think the two nurses in Texas were not given adequate protection because no hospital has ever experienced anything like this virus. That brings to mind this question," Are hospitals in Louisiana adequately prepared to contain and treat Ebola should a case show up in their emergency room?"

Louisiana Hospital Association Vice President Ken Alexander tells the Louisiana Radio Network that he believes our hospitals are in fact ready should the need arise.

"They'll take their experiences, and their additions, deletions and changes in protocol and procedures and they are doing a very effective job of getting those out,"

What Mr. Alexander is suggesting is that lessons learned from the hospital in Texas are being shared through out the medical community.

"Texas Presbyterian has been very forth right in the terms of sharing what processes may and may not have been followed to the tee."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to monitor both healthcare workers in Texas and those that might have come in contact with them for signs of the Ebola virus.