The chief of the Derby Storm Ambulance and Rescue Corps said his volunteers were trained last week on how to handle patients with Ebola-like symptoms and are working with Griffin Hospital to coordinate a response should a person with symptoms of the disease appear locally.
“I think, all in all, we’re in pretty good shape to handle something should it happen,” Storms Chief David Lenart said earlier this week.
Ebola was the story of the day in Connecticut Thursday, after a Yale doctoral student was admitted to the hospital Wednesday night after showing “Ebola-like symptoms.”
The student being monitored is one of two Yale doctoral students who recently returned from a research mission to Liberia, according to an e‑mail to the Yale community from the university’s President Peter Salovey.
The Hartford Courant reported at 3:38 p.m. that preliminary tests on the patient came back negative for Ebola.
The state Department of Health sent the following message at 5:20 p.m. Thursday:
“Test results received today from the Massachusetts State Public Health laboratory were negative for Ebola. This is good news for the patient at Yale New Haven Hospital. Confirmation tests from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are expected as early as tomorrow.
All present protocols, including the isolation order issued by DPH Commissioner Dr. Jewel Mullen today, will remain in place pending the results of laboratory testing at the CDC.
Governor Malloy today announced that he is convening a Unified Command Team (UCT) to serve as point in the state’s ongoing emergency management efforts around Ebola preparedness. The UCT will be chaired by Dr. Mullen.”
The governor’s office released this statement at 5:40 p.m.:
‘Governor Dannel P. Malloy today released the following statement in response to preliminary negative test results from the Massachusetts State Public Health laboratory on the patient being treated for Ebola-like symptoms at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
“Certainly this is encouraging news,” said Governor Malloy. “While the initial test results are negative, Dr. Mullen has made the determination that it is in the best interest for residents in New Haven and the surrounding area that the patient remain isolated as we await official test results from the CDC.”
Earlier today, Governor Malloy outlined the state’s efforts to safeguard against the spread of Ebola. The Governor has also directed every hospital in the state, in coordination with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel, to perform a drill within the next week to assure that procedures are up to standard.
In addition, Governor Malloy today also announced that he is convening a Unified Command Team (UCT) to be chaired by Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner Jewel Mullen. The UCT will serve as point in the state’s ongoing emergency management efforts.
Governor Malloy added, “We will continue to monitor the current situation and provide whatever resources we have at our disposal to ensure that everyone – from the nurses in our emergency rooms to our first responders and our law enforcement personnel – has the ability to do their critically important jobs safely and effectively.”
Residents with concerns are encouraged to call United Way 211, which is providing information and links on its website at www.211ct.org, or call 2 – 1‑1.’
What If?
Lenart said his organization has a leg up because it is both an ambulance service and a hazardous material response unit.
The Derby EMS crews have extensive hazmat training — at least six have been trained in how to respond to chemical or biological attacks, a type of training that became more prevalent after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Dispatchers at Northwest CT Public Safety — the man and women who send out fire trucks and ambulances to help the public — will ask questions to 911 callers to determine the response needed.
“Our dispatch center is the first line of attack. They play a key role,” Lenart said.
If a person calls an ambulance and has Ebola-like symptoms, the dispatchers will ask about any recent trips the person has taken — or whether the patient has come into contact with people who have recently traveled to places where Ebola is known to be spreading.
It is an effort to try to separate the Ebola symptoms from flu symptoms, Lenart said.
If a caller answers “yes” to either of the questions posed by dispatchers, Lenart said Derby first responders will treat it like a hazmat incident.
“Our response may actually be over the top, but we’ll use an abundance of caution,” he said. “We would obviously wear our protective equipment, and notify Griffin Hospital as soon as possible. We would take our normal protective measures for someone who might have a contagious disease.”
Joe Burnett is Griffin Hospital’s emergency management coordinator.
“We’ve been receiving a steady stream of information from the Connecticut Department of Health and Griffin Hospital,” Lenart said. “Joe is the liason with the local ambulance corps, and he’s been setting the rules we operate under. He has been in constant contact with us about this.”
In Ansonia, John Marini, the city’s corporation counsel, said officials would be meeting soon to discuss Ebola concerns.
“Today (Thursday, Oct. 16) the mayor requested that (Ansonia Police) Chief (Kevin) Hale assemble Ansonia’s emergency preparedness team for a meeting early next week to discuss precautionary measures for dealing with the Ebola virus outbreak,” Marini said in a text message.
The date hasn’t been set.
“New Haven is a close neighbor and the administration would like to have a plan in place,” Marini said of next week’s meeting.
In Seymour, First Selectman Kurt Miller said discussions over how to handle Ebola have been happening between the local government, the various first responders and the town’s office of emergency management.
“We are extremely lucky to have so many professionals who are involved in our volunteer agencies,” Miller said.
Gov. Dannel Malloy sent out a detailed press release Thursday afternoon immediately following a press conference regarding steps the state is taking to protect the public against Ebola.
The public reaction, at least on the Valley Indy’s Facebook page, was skeptical.
An earlier thread Thursday on the Valley Indy’s Facebook wall also showed the fear in the community over the possibility of an Ebola outbreak close to home:
This is the governor’s press release, issued prior to the negative test results, in full from Thursday:
Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced today that the State of Connecticut is taking additional steps to strengthen the level of preparedness for the Ebola virus by enacting the quarantine and isolation protocols that were authorized under the order he signed last week. In addition, the Governor is directing that every hospital in the state perform a drill within the next week to assure that procedures and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are up to standard.
While conversations between different levels of government and state hospitals have been ongoing for months, the Governor today also announced that he is convening a Unified Command Team (UCT), chaired by Jewel Mullen, Commissioner of the Department of Public Health (DPH), to serve as point in the state’s ongoing emergency management efforts. The team will be responsible for the coordination of resources and personnel and provide a single point of contact for communication with the public. They will also be responsible for certifying that front line personnel at both acute care and community health care facilities and first responders have received the necessary training to deal with a potential case effectively and safely.
“We have been taking this situation very seriously for weeks,” said Governor Malloy. “Over that period of time, we have been working with health officials to prepare for a potential case here in Connecticut, and I am today formalizing that effort with the establishment of a Unified Command Team. While we don’t yet know if there is a confirmed case of Ebola in our state, the report that a Yale student has exhibited symptoms demonstrates why preemptive action is the right approach. I believe we must go above and beyond what the CDC is recommending, just as we did last week when I issued a preemptive declaration. I want everyone to know – from the nurses in our emergency rooms to our first responders and our law enforcement personnel – we will provide whatever resources we have at our disposal so that you can do your critically important jobs safely and effectively.”
The UCT will be composed of officials from the Governor’s Office, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the State Department of Education, the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the State Department of Administrative Services and the Department of Corrections.
Governor Malloy said that for several weeks, the state has been communicating with Connecticut hospitals and other health care providers providing them with the most up to date information and guidance from federal health authorities.
Last week, Governor Malloy issued an order declaring a public health emergency as a precautionary matter. The order gives the Commissioner of the Public Health Department the authority to quarantine and isolate an individual or a group of individuals whom they reasonably believe has been exposed to the Ebola virus or infected with the Ebola virus. The order was executed as a precautionary and preparatory measure in the event that the state has either a confirmed infection or has confirmed that someone at risk of developing the infection is residing in the state.
Earlier this month, Commissioner Mullen asked each hospital to complete a detailed hospital checklist for Ebola preparedness. During the Unified Command briefing, Commissioner Mullen said that all acute care hospitals had completed and returned the checklist. She said DPH also held a conference call with hospital representatives this week to review their preparedness efforts.
“Connecticut hospitals clearly have a heightened level of awareness for detecting a patient with Ebola, given the level of cooperation we have received in preparing for a possible case,” said Dr. Mullen. “The survey shows that every hospital is engaged in planning and preparedness around Ebola. Critical to preventing an Ebola outbreak in the United States is that all hospitals are able to recognize when a patient may be at risk for Ebola and take the appropriate steps. We continue to work with hospitals to ensure they can detect a patient with Ebola, protect health care workers so they can safely care for the patient, and respond in a coordinated fashion with their healthcare system.”
United Way 211 is providing information and links on its website at www.211ct.org, or you can call 2 – 1‑1.
Today, the Governor and the Commissioner are issuing the following guidance, which is more stringent than the guidelines thus far issued by the Federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): If you become sick with a fever a fever with and/or any of the symptoms of Ebola virus disease such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and you:
· Have traveled to Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Guinea in the last 21 days, or
· Have had contact with a person who has Ebola virus disease.
You will be sent to a hospital for evaluation and placed in room separate from other patients – this is called isolation.
If you are not sick, but have traveled to affected areas or been in contact with an infected individual, you will be required to stay at home for 21 days and take your temperature twice a day. Public heath health workers will contact you twice a day by phone to see how you are doing. This is called quarantine. If you develop a fever or other symptoms suggestive of Ebola virus during the time that you are required to be home, you will be sent to a hospital for evaluation and placed in room separate from other patients.
“The first responder community continues to monitor the current situation and prepare for any potential threat to public safety or health using their established protocols,” said Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner Dora B. Schriro. “We are at the ready to assist and support our local partners in this critical state-wide effort.”
According to the CDC:
· You can’t get Ebola though air
· You can’t get Ebola through water
· You can’t get Ebola through food.
You can only get Ebola from:
· Touching the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick or has died from Ebola
· Touching contaminated objects, like needles
· Touching infected animals, their blood or other body fluids or their meat.
