New York Says It’s Ready for Ebola, but Many Health Workers Aren’t So Sure
By Kelly Gilblom
InsuranceJournal.com
October 22, 2014
Millicent Gist, a receptionist at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, was surprised to hear her facility was an officially designated hospital for people suspected of having Ebola in New York City.
That’s disturbing, Gist said, because she’s often the first person patients talk with when they come to the hospital.
Gist learned of Montefiore’s status at a training session held yesterday at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan that drew more than 5,000 city health-care workers.
Sponsored in part by the Greater New York Hospital Association and a union, the three-hour session was designed to help prepare health workers for the appearance of Ebola in the New York City region. While Mayor Bill de Blasio touted the city’s readiness, many workers weren’t as convinced.
Montefiore has held regular training sessions since the summer, Helene Guss, a spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. The hospital has “intensified our efforts in the recent weeks as new guidance has emerged,” she said.
Health institutions around the U.S. have said they’re working to prepare for a possible Ebola case, though the level of readiness varies. The American College of Emergency Physicians will feature Ebola at a conference in Chicago this month. In California, however, nurses said there wasn’t a hospital in the state ready for an Ebola case.
Uncertain Response
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