I think it's important to point out that in America you are still more likely to die of a gun shot than Ebola. So. There you go America. Freak out accordingly.
Apparently one of our nurses is going to west Africa to help with Ebola, and won't be back at work for 3 weeks. No word on if she has to use PTO but speculation is that she will.
I won't lie, it makes me nervous for when she comes back to the community. Even though I work in a hospital (non clinical), I know my chances of getting it are slim, it's human nature to worry a little bit.
Good for her, though. I have so much respect for health workers who voluntarily go to Ebola-infected areas in Western Africa to help out. It is sorely needed.
I think it's important to point out that in America you are still more likely to die of a gun shot than Ebola. So. There you go America. Freak out accordingly.
I think it's important to point out that in America you are still more likely to die of a gun shot than Ebola. So. There you go America. Freak out accordingly.
I actually saw an FB post about how we'll go to Martial Law and then end up in FEMA camps. I'm on my phone but I'm sure some of you have seen it. I'm so f*cking done with FB and people's bullshit over this.
so the initial release at work just said that employees that had been in affected countries in Africa would have to take the 21 day break from work and use PTO or unpaid leave for it (cannot use their STD bank unless they actually get ebola, lol?) Then the next day when the second nurse with it hit the news they added Dallas to the list. Apparently employees that were in Africa or Dallas when this new policy was announced will be "helped out", whatever that means. I know one nurse that is currently in West Africa visiting family. A trip that she's saved up a lot of PTO and money for. I'm sure she'll return with very little left in her PTO bank.
Our hospital has been having "Town hall" meetings all week to address Ebola concerns. Our lead infectious disease doc has been answering questions, as well as hospital administration. We got another email today outlining where the hospital patients that are symptomatic will be taken (to a unit that is currently closed but is well secured and can be reopened if needed) and that the ER and ICU nurses will be getting additional training as they would be the ones that would be qualified to care for these patients, not the regular floor nurses.
Overall I'm happy that our hospital is talking so much about it and making plans and putting policies into place, but the 21 day unpaid leave thing is some bullshit.
Overall I'm happy that our hospital is talking so much about it and making plans and putting policies into place, but the 21 day unpaid leave thing is some bullshit.
My sister is a doctor in a specialty unlikely to have anything to do with Ebola, but the hospital she works at has the same policy regarding travel in the affected countries in Africa. If anyone travels to those countries they will be required to take 21 days of either PTO or unpaid leave when they return. It seems that the policy was largely created with people traveling to volunteer in mind, but I'm sure it impacts people traveling for other reasons also.
Yes it's all over the news here. There are six (or seven) school districts that are now sending letters, closing to clean, etc because there were children or children with parents on her flight. Our military base now has an entire family in quarantine because the military member was on the flight. Apparently, they are categorizing low, medium, and high risk areas of the plane. Dude, I'm so concerned what this is going to do to our local economy. People are seriously freaking out! If we get more cases, I could see some people going into hysterics.
Post by cattledogkisses on Oct 16, 2014 22:50:53 GMT -5
I hope she recovers, but I'm still judging the hell out of her for flying, especially if she started having symptoms before she initially left on her trip. There's no justification for potentially exposing two flights full of people to Ebola.
so the initial release at work just said that employees that had been in affected countries in Africa would have to take the 21 day break from work and use PTO or unpaid leave for it (cannot use their STD bank unless they actually get ebola, lol?) Then the next day when the second nurse with it hit the news they added Dallas to the list. Apparently employees that were in Africa or Dallas when this new policy was announced will be "helped out", whatever that means. I know one nurse that is currently in West Africa visiting family. A trip that she's saved up a lot of PTO and money for. I'm sure she'll return with very little left in her PTO bank.
Our hospital has been having "Town hall" meetings all week to address Ebola concerns. Our lead infectious disease doc has been answering questions, as well as hospital administration. We got another email today outlining where the hospital patients that are symptomatic will be taken (to a unit that is currently closed but is well secured and can be reopened if needed) and that the ER and ICU nurses will be getting additional training as they would be the ones that would be qualified to care for these patients, not the regular floor nurses.
Overall I'm happy that our hospital is talking so much about it and making plans and putting policies into place, but the 21 day unpaid leave thing is some bullshit.
I'm jealous. I just got a PDF copy in my email of the CDC questionnaire for patients. And that our ID doc will be talking to the media about how prepared the hospital is for Ebola.....even though all we got was a PDF copy of a questionnaire.
Hi everyone! Haven't read all of this thread but browsed. I wanted to point out that we can freak the ever loving fuck out of two US cases of ebola (IMO the first case doesn't really "count" since it wasn't acquired here), we should also consider freaking out about this. Three people are ill from and two have died from a rare virus in the US. It's called EEE (eastern equine encephalitis) and it is spread by mosquitos. That's twice as many deaths in the US from EEE this year alone compared with ebola. There is a 33% mortality rate from EEE, and survivors are often left brain damaged. www.wmur.com/health/2nd-eee-death-reported-in-nh/29142330
IMO, NO ONE is winning any prizes. I trust the CDC's research wholeheartedly, but side eye the cavalier attitude of Freiden. I respect and honor and agree we are indebted to first responders and nurses in particular, but am suspect of the way Dallas Presby has handled this whole situation. I think the US has been a bad actor in that it did nothing - fucking NOTHING for, oh, about four months during which time our colleagues overseas were like "Hey guys, a situation that is serious as FUCK is brewing over here." But I also think that Americans are lazy cheap bastards who want not to pay two nickels for funding of basic and applied research, epidemiology, aid, and infrastructure but then get a case of the righteous indignations when an Amurican is put in harms way. The whole thing has been a colossal disappointment and now I'm all ragey at the stupid shit I'm seeing on the facebooks. Anyway, let's try to keep some shit in perspective. Yes, this is scary. Yes, we are not immune from disease just because we use Dial antibacterial and Oxiclean. Yes, there is blame to go around. But today - today - more than 1500 people died from malaria. 1600 in the US from cancer. 3500 globally from TB - DAILY. 1.3M per year.
And about 100 in the US from car accidents each day and slightly fewer from guns.
So yeah, ebola is scary. It's bloody, and infectious, and unknown and "other". But it's also pretty pathetic on the scale of "things I should be worried about killing me today".
epphd thank you! Side note: EEE has been a fear of mine ever since I found out my horse got the vaccine but there isn't one for me. Get your shots people!
Can we talk about how Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia are handling this? I know there was a military coup in Guinea a few years ago - does the US still have diplomatic relations with them? I know Sierra Leone is a political mess and I remember reading an article about how supplies for treating ebola are just being shipped in and left on the docks. Any truth to people thinking that the west is helping to spread it? How much access can western health care workers have in Sierra Leone and Guinea (obviously they are helping in Liberia)? What can we, as a nation, do to help the epidemic in Africa?
Additionally, a lab tech who handled specimens in Dallas left the US on a cruise. She is now under voluntary quarantine on the cruise ship until they can get her and her husband back to the states. The ship has been denied entry into Belize.