HHS has named nine health departments and associated partner hospitals as regional treatment centers for patients with Ebola or other severe, highly infectious diseases.
These hospitals are part of the network of the 55 Ebola treatment centers across the country, but have what HHS calls "enhanced capabilities." The nine selected hospitals are required 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 with Ebola or another highly infectious disease or partner with a nearby facility to do so
- Be able to handle waste from such patients
- Receive annual readiness assessment from the National Ebola Training and Education Center
The nine hospitals are as follows:
- Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston)
- New York City Health and Hospitals Corp./HHC Bellevue Hospital Center (New York City)
- Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore)
- Emory University Hospital and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta/Egleston Children's Hospital (Atlanta)
- University of Minnesota Medical Center (Minneapolis)
- University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
- Nebraska Medicine-Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha)
- Denver Health Medical Center
- Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital (Spokane, Wash.)
HHS awarded about $20 million to the hospitals to enhance their capabilities, and will gift an additional $9 million to them in the next four years to sustain their capabilities.
HHS is also working with hospital executives and health officials in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and the Pacific island territories to choose a regional Ebola treatment center in that region.