(Image: CDC)
State health officials have determined where any patients who contract the Ebola virus will be sent and has set up transfer plans to get them there.
There have been no diagnosed cases of Ebola in the state and, while State Health Officer Karen McKeown maintains that the risk of anyone contracting the virus in Wisconsin remains extremely low, health care providers have been preparing for the possibility of it happening. Through drills and educational efforts, she says those health partners have been working to make sure they are able to quickly identify and start the treatment of any patients who come through their doors.
McKeown says the state has also identified four hospitals that are best equipped to handle any cases of Ebola; the UW and American Family Children’s Hospitals in Madison, along with Froedtert and Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee have agreed to treat any possible cases in the state. She says those facilities have demonstrated preparedness, and “have the ability to treat a patient with confirmed Ebola throughout the entire course of the disease without interrupting their normal patient care activities.”