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Current Capabilities and Capacity of Ebola Treatment Centers in the United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 December 2015

Jocelyn J. Herstein ,
Paul D. Biddinger ,
Colleen S. Kraft ,
Lisa Saiman ,
Shawn G. Gibbs ,
Aurora B. Le ,
Philip W. Smith ,
Angela L. Hewlett  and
John J. Lowe
Jocelyn J. Herstein
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Paul D. Biddinger
Affiliation:
Division of Emergency Preparedness, Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
Colleen S. Kraft
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
Lisa Saiman
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York Department of Infection Prevention and Control, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York
Shawn G. Gibbs
Affiliation:
Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, Nebraska Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska Department of Environmental Health, Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington, Indiana
Aurora B. Le
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Philip W. Smith
Affiliation:
Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, Nebraska Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
Angela L. Hewlett
Affiliation:
Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, Nebraska Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska
John J. Lowe*
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental, Agricultural & Occupational Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, Nebraska Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska
*
Address correspondence to John J. Lowe, PhD, 985110 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198 (jjlowe@unmc.edu).
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE

To describe current Ebola treatment center (ETC) locations, their capacity to care for Ebola virus disease patients, and infection control infrastructure features.

DESIGN

A 19-question survey was distributed electronically in April 2015. Responses were collected via email by June 2015 and analyzed in an electronic spreadsheet.

SETTING

The survey was sent to and completed by site representatives of each ETC.

PARTICIPANTS

The survey was sent to all 55 ETCs; 47 (85%) responded.

RESULTS

Of the 47 responding ETCs, there are 84 isolation beds available for adults and 91 for children; of these pediatric beds, 35 (38%) are in children’s hospitals. In total, the simultaneous capacity of the 47 reporting ETCs is 121 beds. On the basis of the current US census, there are 0.38 beds per million population. Most ETCs have negative pressure isolation rooms, anterooms, and a process for category A waste sterilization, although only 11 facilities (23%) have the capability to sterilize infectious waste on site.

CONCLUSIONS

Facilities developed ETCs on the basis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, but specific capabilities are not mandated at this present time. Owing to the complex and costly nature of Ebola virus disease treatment and variability in capabilities from facility to facility, in conjunction with the lack of regulations, nationwide capacity in specialized facilities is limited. Further assessments should determine whether ETCs can adapt to safely manage other highly infectious disease threats.

Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2016;37(3):313–318

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 37 , Issue 3 , March 2016 , pp. 313 - 318
Copyright
© 2015 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved 

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