Philadelphia Lawmakers Plan Hearing On Whether Local Officials Are Prepared For Ebola Threat
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Ebola crisis is prompting Philadelphia City Council to plan a hearing on this region's ability to respond to a pandemic.
Calling the hearing is Councilman Curtis Jones -- chair of the public safety committee. He wants to hear from officials at hospitals, the airport, SEPTA and the school district:
"So from the airport, to the schools: how are you dealing with this, and what kinds of approaches are we taking? If we get them all in the room and start to ferret this out, we can know if our early warning system at the airport works, what hospitals are equipped for those kinds of outbreaks."
The hearing will be conducted jointly with the council's public health committee, chaired by Marion Tasco. Jones says the decision to call the hearing is neither grandstanding nor meant to make residents fearful:
"The best way to dispel fear is through knowledge. And the best way to deal with chaos is through organization. And so what we hope to do is get the right people in the room."
The committee, he says, wants to learn more about training of those on the front lines of this type of crisis:
"So the person in the emergency room, if they don't know the ten things to look for or ask of a patient. And that's what happened to the gentleman from Texas, and he's now dead."
Jones says the focus will be broader than Ebola, and will include other threats like the enterovirus D68:
"There are all kinds of airborne and contact viruses that we need to be prepared for. Germs are evolving, and we need to have a standard operating procedure to catch an outbreak before it hits critical mass."
No date has been set yet for the hearing.
Check Out These Other Stories:
