Monterey County officials evaluating safety procedures in light of Ebola

About 4,500 people have died from the Ebola virus worldwide. Nearly 70 percent of people who contract the disease die from it.

Although Ebola is nowhere near California, it’s here in the United States, causing first responders and the Monterey County Health Department to look inward to re-evaluate, and possibly alter, their safety practices to make sure they’re prepared.

“The heightened awareness of Ebola is an important aspect to address because it really makes us aware of the fact of what we’re doing and it really does make a difference,” said Scott Houchin, an EMS officer with the Salinas Fire Department.

Each year the Salinas Fire Department goes through training for exposure to blood-borne and airborne pathogens. For any medical call they are required to wear an EMS jacket, non-latex gloves and eye protection.

Salinas and Seaside have the only two hazardous materials teams in Monterey County, but in a medical situation hazmat doesn’t generally get the initial call. In a very rare event that the hazardous materials team is called in, they’d be called in in a support role to decontaminated a suspected, contaminated site.

Later this month, the Health Department plans to meet with each of the four local hospitals to make sure their procedures are up to CDC standards, and to make sure they’re ready for Ebola.

“To make sure they identify that patient as quickly as possible, isolated them, and each of the hospital and staff are following the proper procedure to protect themselves from exposure to Ebola,” said Dr. Edward Moreno, the county’s health officer.

First responders and health care officials maintain that Ebola is serious but they are reminding everyone that chances of an incident happening on the Central Coast are small.

“Don’t overreact, don’t think that everybody that has a cold or a sniffle has Ebola,” Houchin said.

The county Health Department said it also plans to meet with funeral homes to discuss post-mortem procedures and the 911 dispatch center to make sure they know the correct personnel to send to a potential Ebola scene.