Maine’s 37 community hospitals must be prepared to face any emergency our state may confront, from natural disasters to industrial accidents to disease outbreaks. Hospitals prepare plans and train staff for these and other threats.
Public health and hospital readiness have recently been tested by a new foe: Ebola. Maine hospital leaders are joining forces with doctors, nurses, public health officials and emergency responders to help safeguard our communities.
What does that response look like?
As Maine hospitals have done with other emerging diseases such as AIDS and SARS, health professionals are using new data, the latest guidance from both the state and federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and lessons learned from those who are on the front lines to prepare, train staff and refine protocols. We drill on the entire course of care, from diagnosis to final waste disposal — using the same equipment on which we will rely in order to safeguard staff, patients and communities — until those protocols are second nature. We understand that as we learn more about Ebola, these protocols might change, and we are ready to adapt accordingly.
As we did with those other communicable diseases, we will successfully manage Ebola while protecting the health of our patients and caregivers.
Hospitals take very seriously the responsibility to our communities to be there in emergencies. Preparedness is not a one-time investment. And it’s expensive. In an era when the cost of care is a primary concern, important priorities such as disaster preparedness that benefit all must be funded in a broad-based way. Being ready for the next pandemic, natural disaster or terrorist attack is a process that calls for commitment to continual learning and training and swift adoption of new best practices and equipment. Much of hospital preparedness is not explicitly funded, but hospitals invest in it because it is the right thing to do and it is absolutely central to our core mission — protecting the health of our communities.
In recognition of the substantial expenses incurred by those hospitals being designated by their states as Ebola treatment centers and hospitals that have already treated Ebola patients, as well as the expenses all hospitals are incurring as they prepare to detect, isolate and refer Ebola cases as needed, President Barack Obama has asked Congress for funding to help hospitals in their preparation and response.
In addition to the preparedness funding for designated Ebola treatment centers, the American Hospital Association has requested preparedness funding for all hospitals, which has been drastically reduced since 2012. This funding is critical to assure Maine’s readiness to manage any health care crisis, including an influx of Ebola patients. Hospitals across the country incur significant expenses for emergency preparedness, including costs associated with staff training and education, and the purchase of additional personal protective equipment.
We are thankful that Maine’s congressional delegation has been supportive of Maine’s hospitals in the past, and we urge them to consider this request as they meet to discuss the federal budget over the next few weeks.
A solution-oriented, collaborative, all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness is essential to effectively manage the care of any future disaster or Ebola patients in the state. Maine hospitals, along with hospitals across the nation, have a long and proud history of battling new diseases — and defeating them. We are working together to defeat this one, too.
Steven R. Michaud is president of the Maine Hospital Association in Augusta.