Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) Ebola Preparedness and Response Activities: Development of a Regional Ebola and other special pathogen treatment center for HHS Region 9

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The funding provided through the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) Ebola Preparedness and Response Activities is intended to ensure the nation’s health care system is ready to safely and successfully identify, isolate, assess, transport, and treat patients with Ebola or patients under investigation for Ebola, and that it is well prepared for a future Ebola outbreak. While the focus will be on preparedness for Ebola, it is likely that preparedness for other novel, highly pathogenic diseases will also be enhanced through these activities. Important lessons learned in the U.S. response to Ebola include that the safety of health care workers – from clinicians and laboratorians to ancillary staff – must be foremost in health care system preparedness and response activities; that the care of Ebola patients is clinically complex and demanding; and that early case recognition is critical for preventing spread and improving outcomes. Health care worker safety is best achieved through a deep understanding and correct implementation of infection control, appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE), continuous training, demonstration of competencies, and participation in frequent exercises. Assuring that Ebola patients are safely and well cared for in the U.S. health care system and that frontline providers are trained to recognize and isolate a person with suspected Ebola are the cornerstones of this HPP funding opportunity announcement (FOA).

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