Barnstable County holds Ebola virus disease planning meeting
BARNSTABLE (MA) October 23, 2014 – The Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC) held an Ebola virus disease planning meeting at the Harbor View Conference Room at the Barnstable County Complex on Tuesday, October 21, 2014. With around 60 people in attendance, the meeting included Barnstable County police chiefs, fire chiefs, health agents, emergency management directors and healthcare professionals.
During the course of the meeting, the topics discussed included 911 call screening; initial patient contact by first responders; transportation to the hospital; hospital admittance and isolation; the donning and doffing of personal protective equipment; and decontamination.
George Heufelder, Director, Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, said, “Given the concerns about Ebola virus disease, we felt it was important to gather pubic safety and public health officials and local healthcare professionals to review preparedness in Barnstable County. We need to ensure we are working with the latest information and are in agreement on how best to protect the health and safety of the public and first responders. We are meeting out of an abundance of caution with the goal of assuring that the County is as prepared as possible for any contagious disease that might affect Cape Cod.”
