Not even a month after Santa Barbara County had its first Ebola scare, a county Grand Jury report has deemed the local response efforts as “adequate.”
The three-page report, “Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, Protecting Our Human Infrastructure,” gives a nod of confidence to county public health officials, specifically for work during an Ebola infection simulation drill at its headquarters last November.
The grand jury decided to examine the effectiveness of local quarantine-response efforts after a nurse treating a recent traveler from West Africa in a Texas hospital late last year became exposed to — and tested positive for — the illness.
Locally, the county is continually monitoring people who return from any of the countries in Africa experiencing an Ebola epidemic, which is why the Public Health Department let residents know of a possible case in March, said Susan Klein-Rothschild, the county’s deputy director of community health.
An unidentified woman being monitored had developed a fever and was transported to an assessment hospital in Los Angeles, where officials determined she didn’t have Ebola.
Public health officials initiated the four-hour preparedness drill in November as part of a call to action by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California State Department of Public Health, which ensure readiness at the local level through annual simulation drills.
“After monitoring the annual simulation drill on Ebola preparedness, the 2014-15 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury is confident that the infectious disease preparedness plans established by the Santa Barbara Public Health Department are adequate and ready for implementation when needed,” the report states.
The grand jury cites a “well-established coalition of public and private health care providers” while offering a short list of response areas that could be improved.
Those areas of concern — some of which have fixes already in progress — include updating computers that lack standard software and easy access to files; testing video conference capability with hospitals countywide; incorporating County Animal Services into the initial response; and working with local law enforcement agencies to establish a standard operation plan for escorting the protective equipment-equipped AMR ambulance to the hospital, since such an escort is required.
The county has already purchased more Personal Protection Equipment and recruited more volunteers for emergency response teams, two other report recommendations.
Klein-Rothschild said county health was pleased with results of the report, having met and cooperated with the grand jury over the last few months.
“This report reflects an understanding of the importance of preparedness and the continuing efforts to improve our local preparedness for any infectious disease emergency,” she told Noozhawk. “I appreciate the time taken by the grand jury to observe, interview and follow-up on key items.”
She said the department has a screening interview process for travelers and monitors for symptoms multiple times a day, during the potential incubation period of 21 days.
No other possible cases have been reported since last month, Klein-Rothschild said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.