Even though the chances are probably remote, staff members at Genesis Health System are preparing to treat patients with Ebola.
Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Nidal Harb, says training is underway at all six Genesis campuses, including the two hospitals in Davenport, and all of its clinics.
And he's confident the doctors, nurses, and other staff will be able to treat safely any possible patient with the deadly virus that's killed thousands of people already in Africa.
Lisa Caffery, the infection control coordinator for Genesis, says isolation rooms are ready, as well as all the personal protection equipment, such as gowns, masks, gloves, and shoe covers.
She says if the hospital suspects a patient has Ebola, then they'll be placed in a special private room, and only the medical staff that's absolutely necessary will have any contact with them. Warning signs in one of the rooms are printed in English, Spanish, and French - that's the language spoken by some in west Africa.