Prince George’s County Equipped and Prepared for Ebola

Officials in Prince George’s County are prepping for Ebola. The health department, hospitals, fire department, and other first responders are equipped and prepared should an outbreak of the potentially fatal disease transmitted through bodily fluids happens in the county. As reported in The Gazette:

Arsenault said the hospital system formed an Ebola Disease Response planning committee in October, which meets once a week to discuss the latest information from the CDC. The system has also provided its campuses with additional hazmat suits and training, he said.

“The biggest place we’re concerned about is emergency services,” he said. “If someone walks in and fits the criteria for further screening, we isolate them immediately and there’s a robust questionnaire we complete. If they are high risk, we draw some blood from them and send it to a state health department lab.”

Municipalities within the county are also getting involved:

Bowie staff met with county health officer Pamela Creekmur on Nov. 5 to discuss quarantine procedures and how Bowie could best inform residents about preventative measures, according to a memo from City Manager David Deutsch.

“We are basically a support for the county health system when it comes to infectious diseases,” Creveling said. “Our support right now is communication and education to our residents. We’re putting stuff on our websites, through Facebook and Twitter, so people know what universal precautions to take.”

For more information read the full article in The Gazette.

To learn more about the work of County Health Departments attend the educational session Public Health Threats: What Every Public Official Should Know, Thursday January 8, 2015 from 3:30 – 4:30 pm at the MACo Winter Conference in Cambridge, Maryland.

To learn more about MACo’s Winter Conference:

Questions? Contact Meetings & Events Director Virginia White.