UMass Memorial Left Off State Collaborative Ebola Treatment Plan

Tuesday, November 04, 2014

Nicholas Handy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Massachusetts has named six hospitals to its collaborative plan for Ebola treatment, ensuring that there are hospitals within the state that can handle a potential Ebola outbreak, and UMass Memorial was not listed.

Rather than going with UMass Memorial or any other Central Massachusetts hospital, the state's collaborative plan designates five Boston hospitals and a Springfield hospital to treat Ebola patients in the state, should the need ever arise.

“While there are no cases of Ebola in Massachusetts and the risk remains extremely low, this collaborative system shows that Massachusetts health care providers are well prepared,” said Public Health Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett, RN. “I thank these six hospitals, their leadership, and staff for their dedication and commitment to ensuring that Massachusetts is ready. It’s important to note that other states in the region are also prepared for any suspect cases, and would not need to transfer cases to Massachusetts.”

The six hospitals designated Ebola treatment centers are Bay State Medical Center in Springfield, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Tufts Medical Center, all located in Boston. According to Bartlett, nearby states have the proper capabilities to handle Ebola in their own states, meaning that Massachusetts only has to worry about their own residents.

Working to Prepare

While not currently listed as a part of the Department of Public Health’s collaborative plan right now, UMass Memorial Medical Center President Patrick L. Muldoon said in a statement that UMass Memorial plans on joining the collaboration within the next four weeks.

UMass Memorial officials are currently working with DPH in order to determine the exact suite of laboratory services that are needed to provide ongoing care to patients with Ebola.

"UMass Memorial Medical Center continues its aggressive preparation to care for patients with Ebola in a manner that is safe for patients and caregivers," said Muldoon. "To date, we have trained more than 190 employees; established strict protocols and procedures to safely isolate and screen suspected cases of Ebola; secured supplies of personal protective equipment; customized a dedicated EMS vehicle to safely transport high-risk patients; and educated our workforce and the broader community."

Are They Prepared Enough?

Nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association have long been worried that UMass and other hospitals throughout the state have not been properly preparing their staff for a potential Ebola outbreak by not providing the proper training or equipment for proper care.

According to David Schildmeier, Director of Public Communications at the Massachusetts Nurses Association, the most troubling thing about the UMass Memorial system is that each of their campuses has been showing a different level and attention to staff education and preparedness in regards to Ebola training.

“What has been interesting in dealing with UMass Memorial is that they have been very active in working with the Memorial campus and are beginning to take the proper precautions, but that the University campus they have been much less forthcoming,” said Schildmeier. “It reeks of hospital mismanagement; the wide level of implementation has certainly raised a specter among nurses and others.”

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