In an announcement made by Maryland's Gov. Martin O'Malley today, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, along with other local hospitals, has been identified as a designated site to care for potential patients with Ebola virus disease. There are no patients with Ebola virus disease at The Johns Hopkins Hospital or any other member hospitals within Johns Hopkins Medicine at this time, and the governor's office states that no cases have been diagnosed in Maryland to date.
Under the coordinated strategy developed by state health and hospital officials, all hospital emergency departments in the state will continue to be prepared to evaluate patients suspected of having Ebola virus disease. Should a case of Ebola virus disease be confirmed, the patient would be treated at one of three designated hospitals if no federal facility is available.
The strategy lays out a process for all Maryland hospitals to follow: Patients will be screened to identify those who possibly have Ebola virus disease, and any potential cases will be isolated. Following that, the hospital will work with the state's public health laboratory to quickly confirm whether Ebola virus disease is present.
Should it be confirmed that a patient has Ebola virus disease, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine if a federal facility is available to treat the patient. The National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, is among the four federal facilities. If no federal care facility is available, the potential patient would be cared for at one of three hospitals:
- The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore
- University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore
- MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.
For some months now, infectious disease and other clinical experts throughout Johns Hopkins Medicine have been preparing to safely care for patients with Ebola virus disease without compromising the protection of other patients, visitors and care teams.
"Johns Hopkins Medicine has experienced, internationally renowned emergency and infectious disease specialists, and we are prepared to leverage that expertise to help address the needs of the state of Maryland and the nation," says Ronald R. Peterson, president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System and executive vice president for Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Johns Hopkins' aim is to provide the best training and safety measures for its clinicians and the best care for its patients.
Updates on the prevention and preparation methods under way at Johns Hopkins Medicine and in-depth informational resources can be found at hopkinsmedicine.org/ebola.
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