The primary purpose of this funding is to improve the applicants’ abilities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from an Ebola event by undertaking activities in any or all of the following priority areas:
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Procurement and Training. The CDC issues and updates PPE recommendations for health workers who will be caring for Ebola patients. These guidelines reflect lessons learned from the recent experience of U.S. hospitals caring for Ebola patients and emphasize the importance of training, practice, competence, and observation of healthcare workers in correct donning and doffing of PPE.
Laboratory. The CDC, in collaboration with the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), has developed and issued guidance documents for state and local public health laboratories, preparing these labs to conduct Ebola testing and respond to questions from their clinical laboratories. In accordance with the Interim Guidance for Specimen Collection, Transport, Testing, and Submission for Persons Under Investigation for Ebola Virus Disease in the United States and other updated CDC guidance for laboratory activities, public health departments should work with healthcare facilities to purchase Point of Care (POC) laboratory equipment and associated supplies.
Retrofitting of facilities. Among other items, the most recent CDC guidance recommends that hospitals ensure that space and layout allow for clear separation between clean and potentially contaminated areas. This may require alteration and renovation (A&R) of facilities. Funding under these awards may only be used for minor A&R activities; construction and major A&R activities are not permitted. Public health departments should work with healthcare facilities to retrofit facilities to promote appropriate layout and assure good infection control including, for example, ante room, POC laboratory, and dedicated treatment rooms.
Waste Management. A Category A Infectious substance is a material known or reasonably expected to contain a pathogen, such as Ebola, that is in a form capable of causing permanent disability or life threatening or fatal disease in otherwise healthy humans or animals when exposed to it. Category A infectious substances are regulated by the Department of Transportation’s Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR, 49 Parts 171-180). The HMR apply to any material DOT determines is capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce.