Peninsula Regional and Ebola Preparedness

Peninsula Regional Medical Center takes its role as Delmarva’s largest tertiary care center very seriously. When the Ebola virus outbreak began in West Africa, PRMC began making preparations before anyone in the United States was ever diagnosed with an Ebola infection. Since August, Peninsula Regional has kept up to date and implemented precautions based on and exceeding guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reflecting our commitment to keeping the community and our staff safe from Ebola.

Safety and preparedness are essential to our mission. As healthcare providers, it’s what we are trained to do, what we have promised our communities we will do, and it’s what the public relies on us to do. While the possibility of an Ebola outbreak on the Eastern Shore may seem remote, Peninsula Regional is accustomed to preparing for the worst ─ if not Ebola, then a virulent flu strain, a tornado, a hurricane, a hazardous waste spill or any other worst-case scenario that we might face. Frequent drills and continuing staff education are a vital part of our emergency preparations. We perform continuous reviews of our procedures based on the latest data from the CDC.

Knowledge is power. Peninsula Regional’s team has been working on every aspect of preparing for a potential Ebola-infected patient, starting at our front door ─ asking travel history when patients first come in, gathering the best protective gear and supplies above and beyond CDC’s protocols, and ensuring that our staff is trained to use them.

We work closely with local and state health departments, and participate in CDC and Maryland Hospital Association preparedness conference sessions to coordinate our response to the threat of Ebola virus, to ensure that every protocol is followed and any outbreak is avoided.

While we certainly hope to never have to treat anyone for Ebola, we are prepared to deliver professional, safe, compassionate care while safeguarding our providers and our community. If you wish to learn more, please visitpeninsula.org/ebola for useful links, resources and information about Ebola.