As officials track down Frontier flight passengers connected with an Ebola case, state health workers say they're making sure Colorado is as prepared as possible to respond to the virus.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has a hotline with information about Ebola and other viruses is 1-877-462-2911. You can hear the entire information by clicking "Listen" below.
The CDPHE is updating statewide plans for tackling any Ebola cases. The agency is also working with hospitals, health care providers, and first responders, to make sure they're prepared. That includes reviewing how to treat a patient, protect healthcare workers, and more. Officials say they can't predict whether the virus will come to Colorado, but the best way to be prepared is to coordinate across all public health providers and services, statewide. There was a statewide conference call last Friday with almost 400 participants, and weekly calls are in the works.
The leaders of Colorado's Hospital Association and Nurses Association say their organizations are keeping a close eye on where cases pop up in the US and making sure staff and locations as ready as possible.
In the Roaring Fork Valley, local hospitals are educating staff and making other preparations for any Ebola cases. Valley View Hospital is working with local and state agencies, and making sure staff know how to respond to an Ebola case.
Aspen Valley Hospital is doing the same, including working with Pitkin County and first responders to quickly take in any Aspen airport travelers who might have the virus. Aspen Valley has Tyvek suits recommended for anyone treating an Ebola patient. Now that two nurses have contracted the virus in another state, Aspen Valley says it is ready to update procedures if authorities change how doctors and nurses are supposed to protect themselves.
