HHS welcomed Los Angeles-based Cedars Sinai Medical Center to its regional Ebola treatment center network on Tuesday, rounding out the number of highly capable treatment centers at 10.
In June 2015, HHS named nine health departments and partner hospitals as regional treatment centers for patients with Ebola or other highly infectious diseases. Cedars-Sinai and the California Department of Public Health will now cover the southwestern U.S., a region previously not covered by the other nine hospitals. This region includes Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and the Pacific island territories.
Members of the network have to be available to care for patients with Ebola or another severe, highly infectious disease, whether the person contracted the illness in the U.S. or is transported here for treatment.
Additionally, as part of the network, Cedars-Sinai has to be able to do the following:
- Accept patients within eight hours of notification
- Be able to treat at least two Ebola patients simultaneously
- Have respiratory infectious disease isolation capacity or negative pressure rooms for at least 10 patients
- Conduct trainings and exercises each quarter
- Be able to treat pediatric patients
- Be able to handle waste from such patients
- Receive an annual readiness assessment from the National Ebola Training and Education Center
HHS awarded the hospital and the health department $3.25 million through financial year 2019 to build up and sustain its capabilities to treat patients with highly infectious diseases.
"With all of the regional facilities in place, our nation's healthcare infrastructure will be better prepared for future outbreaks of Ebola and other special pathogens, especially those requiring a high level of biocontainment and specialized infection control," said Nicole Lurie, MD, HHS assistant secretary for preparedness and response. "This regional network of facilities capable of treating severe, highly infectious diseases is vital to better ensuring our nation's health security."