Bay Area hospitals prepare protocols for Ebola cases

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KGO) -- Local hospitals and health departments are updating their crisis plans, just in case people in the Bay Area come down with the deadly Ebola virus.

Hospitals in Santa Clara County haven't seen an Ebola patient but health officials are preparing for the possibility.

The county public health department is sending out signs to hospitals to put up in their emergency rooms. One is for patients, asking them if they have a fever, or if they have traveled to or been in contact with someone who traveled to West Africa.

Another poster is for health care providers, asking the same questions. But those posters are also tell medical staff what to do if the patient says "yes," which would include informing management and immediately calling the Santa Clara County Public Health Department.

Similar signs are up in the emergency room at John Muir Medical Center.

The Director of Infection Prevention says protocols for a possible Ebola infection are already in place. "We notify certain other people immediately what's going on. A person that's dressed in protective gear will come with a wheelchair and immediately wheel them to a private room," said Dr. Jorge Bernett.

The Santa Clara County Public Health Department says hospitals have personal protection equipment, but are still looking at different products like gloves that go up higher on the arm to make sure they're covered properly.

At John Muir, once a potential Ebola patient is isolated, everyone must wear personal protection equipment around them, like the suits seen already in places like Texas.

Santa Clara County Public Health Department says they call hospitals weekly to discuss lab and transportation issues. They're working on getting some data on how many of their health care workers have been drilled on Ebola protocols.