Health officials at Sharp HealthCare say a patient investigated for possible Ebola at Sharp Grossmont Hospital has been cleared after triggering a brief emergency response Tuesday.
The patient arrived at the hospital showing symptoms commonly associated with Ebola and had recently traveled to East Africa, where health officials are closely monitoring an outbreak.
Hospital leaders say federal, state and local health agencies were immediately contacted while staff activated emergency protocols designed for high-risk infectious diseases.
“It sparks some additional questions about their symptoms that might align with someone having a virus,” said Danisha Jenkins, director of emergency preparedness for Sharp HealthCare.
Jenkins said the hospital follows a three-step process during situations like this: “identify, isolate and inform.”
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Public Health and San Diego County public health agencies were all involved in evaluating the patient.
“We were on meetings with them almost all day yesterday as they evaluated and gave their expertise,” Jenkins said.
During the investigation, the patient was isolated while visitors entering the building were asked to wear gloves and masks as a precaution.
Hospital officials emphasized the patient was ultimately cleared and there was no confirmed Ebola case.
Jenkins said lessons learned during the 2014 Ebola epidemic helped shape the hospital’s current preparedness efforts.
“We learned a lot in 2014, particularly about identifying patients of concern and isolating them,” she said.
The 2014 Ebola outbreak infected thousands across West Africa and led hospitals nationwide to strengthen emergency response plans for infectious diseases.
“The key to our response is all of our preparedness efforts,” Jenkins said. “We have a tremendous group of clinicians that trains together regularly, and that really helps keep everyone calm and focused on the mission, which is to take great care of our patients and keep our community safe.”
