YOUR TICKET TO A BETTER
NIGHT'S SLEEP!]
KCRA 3 NEWS AT 5:00 STARTS
RIGHT NOW.
A DEVELOPING STORY WE HAVE
BEEN ON ALL DAY LONG.
UC DAVIS MEDICAL CENTER TREATING
A PATIENT WHO MAY HAVE
CONTRACTED EBOLA.
THIS POSSIBLE CASE STARTED AT A
DIFFERENT SACRAMENTO HOSPITAL.
WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE.
LET'S START WITH DAVID BIENICK
LIVE AT UC DAVIS MEDICAL CENTER,
WHICH RELEASED A STATEMENT AN
HOUR AGO.
GOOD AFTERNOON.
STAFF AT THE UC DAVIS MEDICAL
CENTER DID REPORT THAT THE
SUSPECTED EBOLA PATIENT IS IN
GOOD CONDITION.
WE DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS A MAN
OR WOMAN.
WE SHOULD KNOW LATE TONIGHT OR
TOMORROW IF THIS CASE IS LIKELY
TO BE REAL.
WORKERS WORE PROTECTIVE
CLOTHING, INCLUDING MASKS AND
GLOVES AS AN AMULET IS BROUGHT
THE SUSPECTED EBOLA PATIENT FROM
MERCY GENERAL TO A NONPUBLIC
ENTRANCE AT UC DAVIS MEDICAL
CENTER.
THEY ANNOUNCED THEY WERE
BRINGING THE PERSON IN --
THIS WOMAN SAID SHE WAS IN
ANY ARE EXAM ROOM WITH HER
GRANDDAUGHTER AT THE TIME.
AS SOON AS THEY HEARD, EBOLA?
THEY WALKED RIGHT OUT.
HEALTH OFFICIALS SAID THIS
PATIENT IS AT A LOWER RISK, BUT
DOES MEET GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES
FOR BEING TESTED.
THOSE GUIDELINES IN SLOOT --
INCLUDE SYMPTOMS SUCH AS
DIARRHEA AND COUGH, PLUS RECENT
TRAVEL TO COUNTRIES IN WEST
AFRICA.
DOCTORS AND NURSES HAVE BEEN
RECEIVING EBOLA EQUIPMENT AND
TRAINING FOR MONTHS.
IN DECEMBER, THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT DESIGNATED THIS
HOSPITAL AS A PRIORITY EBOLA
TREATMENT CENTER.
SOME NURSES SAY THE SITUATION
HAS IMPROVED.
THE NURSES HAVE BEEN DRILLING
SINCE THEN ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS
AND WE KNOW THAT THEY ARE SO
MUCH BETTER PREPARED.
AT LEAST ONE NONMEDICAL STAFF
MEMBER AT THE HOSPITAL TOLD US
SHE DIDN'T WANT TO GO ANYWHERE
NEAR THE SUSPECTED EBOLA
PATIENT'S ROOM.
IF I WAS ASKED TO CLEAN THAT,
I WOULDN'T.
I AM NOT TRAINED.
UC DAVIS HAS DECLINED TO
ANSWER QUESTIONS ON CAMERA ABOUT
THIS SUSPECTED EBOLA CASE.
THE HOSPITAL DID CALL A NEWS
CONFERENCE THIS AFTERNOON, BUT
CANCELED AT THE LAST MOMENT.
LIVE
IN SACRAMENTO, DAVID
BIENICK, KCRA 3 NEWS.
UC DAVIS MEDICAL CENTER IS
ONE OF FIVE HOSPITALS IN THE
STATE THAT IS DESIGNATED TO DEAL
WITH EBOLA CASES.
ROB MALCOLM IS HERE NOW WITH
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE
PROCEDURES THAT A HOSPITAL IS
TRAINED TO USE.
IT IS AMAZING WHAT THEY HAVE
TO GO THROUGH.
BACK IN NOVEMBER, UC DAVIS GAVE
US A LOOK AT THE PROTOCOLS FOR
DEALING WITH EBOLA.
THE HOSPITAL STARTED TRAINING
THEIR STAFF DURING THE HEIGHT OF
THE EBOLA SCARE, INCLUDING
PRACTICING PUTTING ON AND TAKING
OFF PROTECTIVE CLOTHING.
JUST REMOVING ALL THAT EQUIPMENT
REQUIRES 30 STEPS.
THOSE STEPS ARE REQUIRED
BECAUSE
OF THE UNIQUE DANGERS ASSOCIATED
WITH EBOLA, INCLUDING HOW EASILY
IT CAN SPREAD THROUGH BODILY
FLUIDS.
HOSPITAL STAFF WILL BE WORKING
IN TEAMS OF THREE.
ONE PERSON HELPS THE OTHER
CAREGIVER TAKING OFF THEIR
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING.
THE THIRD ACTS AS A SUPERVISOR
AND WORKS WITH A CHECKLIST TO
MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS FOLLOWING
PROPER PROCEDURES.
IT IS INVOLVED.
IT IS A TEDIOUS PROCESS, BUT
UNDERSTANDABLE.
THE PATIENT INITIALLY SHOWED UP
THIS MORNING AND MERCY GENERAL
IN EAST SACRAMENTO, WHERE THEY
STARTED DECONTAMINATING THE
EMERGENCY ROOM.
SHAROKINA SHAMS IS LIVE AT
MERCY GENERAL WITH WHY THE
HOSPITAL SAID IT DID EXACTLY
WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO DO.
THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO THE
EMERGENCY ROOM IS HERE ON 39TH
STREET, AT THE VERY BACK END OF
THIS PARKING LOT.
THE PARKING LOTS HAVE
BEEN OPEN
ALL DAY, BUT HERE'S WHAT IT HAS
LOOK LIKE MOST OF THE DAY.
WITH DOORS CLOSED AND SURROUNDED
BY YELLOW TAPE, MERCY GENERAL
SAID TODAY THAT THE EMERGENCY
ROOM IS BEING CLEANED.
THE HOSPITAL DIDN'T GIVE DETAILS
ABOUT WHAT THAT ENTAILS OR ALLOW
US TO SEE THE PROCESS.
A SPOKESPERSON WOULD ONLY SAY
THAT THE CLEANING IS PART OF THE
PROTOCOL THEY USE WHEN PATIENTS
WHO MAY HAVE INFECTIOUS DISEASES
ARE TREATED HERE.
THEY COULDN'T TELL US THE LAST
TIME A TREATMENT LIKE THIS WAS
DONE.
STILL, PEOPLE VISITING PATIENTS
WERE GLAD TO HEAR OF THE
CLEANING.
I THINK THEY ARE ONE STEP
AHEAD.
YOU THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA?
YES.
HAVING ALL LOCKED DOWN.
I THINK THEY ARE ALL ON
TRACK.
THEY ARE NOT TAKING IT LIGHTLY.
WE HAVE AN ELDERLY RELATIVE IN
THE HOSPITAL.
SHE IS ON THE FOURTH FLOOR.
A SPOKESPERSON FOR MERCY
GENERAL ALSO DID TELL KCRA 3
THAT HOSPITAL STAFF ARE NOT
UNDER QUARANTINE.
THE HOSPITAL WOULD SAY LITTLE
ELSE ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES
THAT BROUGHT THAT PATIENT HERE,
OR THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT STAFF
WERE FACED WITH WHEN THEY
DECIDED TO TRANSFER THAT
PATIENT.