UF Health prepared for Ebola if necessary

Doctors, nurses have plans to make sure medical staff stays protected

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Doctors at UF Health in Jacksonville are preparing in case someone with Ebola symptoms were to walk through their doors.

On Friday, nurses put on protective gear they would wear if a person came to the hospital with symptoms.

It's something Dr. Joseph Sabato, head of disaster management for UF Health says is part of larger plan to keep people working here protected.  Sabato says it is important that hospital staff is protected.

"They have to be protected before the patient arrives because otherwise they could get contaminated," said Sabato.

It is a concern hospitals in our area and around the country have after a nurse treating a man who later died of Ebola, contracted the disease.

The nurse was involved in Thomas Duncan's second visit to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital when he was admitted for treatment.

Health officials say she was wearing protective gear as prescribed by the Centers for Disease Control. That gear includes gown, gloves, a mask and shield.

According to the health department, the nurse reported a low-grade fever Friday night and was isolated.  Late Saturday, a preliminary test came back positive for Ebola.

Despite this recent case, officials at UF Health say using protective gear is still an important part of keeping staff members safe.  Nurses would wear a hood and shield and even though Ebola is not a respiratorily-spreading illness, nurses would wear a mask as an extra precaution.

Texas health officials say they knew a second case of Ebola could be a reality, so they have been preparing.

Even though no cases have been reported in Northeast Florida, UF Health officials say they will be prepared too.