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STATE AND THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THE ASSISTANCE ASSISTANCE WHEN IT’S NEEDED, WE LEARNED TODAY NEBRASKA IS ACTUALLY ONE OF TWO PLACES WHERE THOSE PASSENGERS ARE BEING ASSESSED. THE OTHER IS EMORY HOSPITAL IN ATLANTA. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S JOHN GREENWALD WALKS US THROUGH THE NATIONWIDE SYSTEM THAT’S USED DURING TIMES OF OUTBREAK. JOHN. JULIE BLUE HILL, NEBRASKA MEDICINE AND UNMC ARE UNIQUE IN THAT THEY HOUSE THE COUNTRY’S ONLY NATIONAL QUARANTINE UNIT. THAT’S WHY A BULK OF THE PASSENGERS WHO FLEW TO THE UNITED STATES ON MONDAY MORNING CAME HERE 15 IN THE NATIONAL QUARANTINE UNIT AND ONE IN THE BIOCONTAINMENT UNIT. WHAT YOU’RE SEEING IS A COORDINATION FROM WASHINGTON TO THE STATE TO THE LOCAL LEVELS, WITH THE GOVERNOR, WITH HERE AT UNMC. THIS IS WHAT TRUE PUBLIC HEALTH CARE LOOKS LIKE. HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTNERSHIPS, OFFICIALS SHED LIGHT ON A NATIONAL HEALTH NETWORK THAT BECOMES MOST VISIBLE IN MOMENTS OF STRESS. IT’S OVERSEEN BY THE ADMINISTRATION FOR STRATEGIC PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE, OR ASPR, WHICH IS UNDER THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. THIS IS A SYSTEM, A NATIONAL SPECIAL PATHOGEN SYSTEM. IT’S NOT DESIGNED AS ONE HOSPITAL DOES EVERYTHING. UNMC IS ONE OF 13 REGIONAL EMERGING SPECIAL PATHOGEN CENTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS ESTABLISHED. THIS SYSTEM OVER THE YEARS TO PREPARE FOR HIGH CONSEQUENCE INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAKS WITH TRAINED PERSONNEL READY TO SAFELY MANAGE SITUATIONS LIKE THIS. THERE ARE THREE BIOCONTAINMENT CENTERS IN THE COUNTRY. UNMC HAS ONE, BUT DOCTOR ANGELA HEWLETT, WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE BIOCONTAINMENT UNIT, SAYS FOR THIS VIRUS, ONLY 2 TO 3 PEOPLE CAN BE TREATED INSIDE THAT UNIT AT THE SAME TIME. ONE PERSON IS CURRENTLY IN BIOCONTAINMENT UNIT AND OFFICIALS DISCUSS CONTINGENCIES. IF THAT SPACE BEGINS TO RUN OUT. IF THERE ARE MULTIPLE INDIVIDUALS THAT WOULD GET US TO CAPACITY OF THE BCU. IF THAT OCCURRED, WE WOULD WORK WITH OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS VERY CLOSELY AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE TRANSPORTED TO ANOTHER FACILITY THAT HAD THE CAPABILITY. THE NATIONAL QUARANTINE UNIT, THE PEOPLE INSIDE THAT UNIT ARE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 20 AND 80 YEARS OLD. NEBRASKA MEDICINE SAID ALL THE PEOPLE ARE DOING WELL RIGHT NOW. REPORTING LIVE IN OMAHA.
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‘Monitor and assess them’: Nebraska Medicine’s facilities put Omaha at center of hantavirus outbreak response
Sixteen of the passengers on the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak arrived in Omaha early Monday morning.They are staying at University of Nebraska Medical Center facilities.State and federal officials discussed how this response fits into a national preparation system.Watch: Nebraska officials give update after passengers exposed to hantavirus arrive in OmahaOfficials took time Monday to stress the importance of partnerships as they manage this situation between private and public health, as well as national and state leaders.They discussed how it all comes together to keep the public safe.Nebraska Medicine and UNMC are unique in that they house the country’s only national quarantine unit.That’s why 15 of the 16 passengers who flew to Nebraska on Monday morning went there, but there are 12 other Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Centers where personnel train to manage incidents like this.MORE COVERAGE: Hantavirus-positive cruise ship passenger has no symptoms after arriving in Omaha, officials sayThose are all overseen by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, which is under the federal Department of Health and Human Services.”This is a system, a national special pathogen system. It’s not designed as one hospital does everything. So the national quarantine unit is here at UNMC, and it is designed to house a large group of patients or passengers from a plane or a ship, like what we have now, to monitor and assess them,” John Knox, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said.The University of Nebraska Medical Center also has a biocontainment unit, but there are other biocontainment units in the country.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
Sixteen of the passengers on the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak arrived in Omaha early Monday morning.
They are staying at University of Nebraska Medical Center facilities.
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State and federal officials discussed how this response fits into a national preparation system.
Watch: Nebraska officials give update after passengers exposed to hantavirus arrive in Omaha
Officials took time Monday to stress the importance of partnerships as they manage this situation between private and public health, as well as national and state leaders.
They discussed how it all comes together to keep the public safe.
Nebraska Medicine and UNMC are unique in that they house the country’s only national quarantine unit.
That’s why 15 of the 16 passengers who flew to Nebraska on Monday morning went there, but there are 12 other Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Centers where personnel train to manage incidents like this.
MORE COVERAGE: Hantavirus-positive cruise ship passenger has no symptoms after arriving in Omaha, officials say
Those are all overseen by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, which is under the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
“This is a system, a national special pathogen system. It’s not designed as one hospital does everything. So the national quarantine unit is here at UNMC, and it is designed to house a large group of patients or passengers from a plane or a ship, like what we have now, to monitor and assess them,” John Knox, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center also has a biocontainment unit, but there are other biocontainment units in the country.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
