Illinois to create statewide Ebola task force
Illinois' plan for dealing with the Ebola threat is evolving as health officials in the public and private sectors learn from mistakes made in Texas, the state's top doctor said Friday.
A small number of Illinois hospitals are considering being named Ebola centers, a state lab will be ready to test for the virus next week and a statewide task force will be created, although its members were not named.
"There's no fail-safe plan, but we have a plan and that plan is getting better and better every single day as we learn lessons from Dallas," said Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health at a media briefing in Chicago organized to update the public on the state's latest preparations for the deadly virus.
On Friday, Gov. Pat Quinn ordered the creation of a statewide task force meant to strengthen the response in Illinois, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel convened a meeting of his cabinet to discuss the city's preparations. Their actions came as President Barack Obama named Ron Klain, a former chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, as Ebola "czar" in Washington.
In Illinois, members of the Ebola task force weren't announced, nor were the specific hospitals that would care for any patients. A "handful of hospitals" are considering whether they want to commit to the extra training and equipment they'll need to be ready for Ebola, Hasbrouck said. These hospitals would be designated by the state as "centers of excellence" in Ebola care, Hasbrouck said.
While the Illinois Ebola response plan is still sparse in detail, a new Ebola hotline activated Thursday demonstrated the level of public interest, with more than 200 calls coming in the first 24 hours with little publicity. Operators are answering questions about how Ebola is spread, who's at risk and when someone should go to a doctor. The hotline number is 800-889-3931.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has designated Illinois as a state that can do its own testing for Ebola, decreasing the wait time for results, Hasbrouck announced Friday. Illinois will be ready for testing as soon as next week. There's still no suspected case of Ebola in Illinois, he emphasized.
Friday's briefing came a day after enhanced screening for Ebola began at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Travelers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone now are completing questionnaires and getting their temperatures taken by trained personnel.
The Chicago Department of Public Health has reached out to the city's West African communities to answer questions and concerns. The department also is helping train emergency dispatchers to include questions about travel history where appropriate during calls to 911.