BCNU responds to Health Ministry's announcement of Ebola Preparedness Task Force

October 24, 2014

Health Minister Terry Lake has announced the creation of a coordinating task force to help prepare for the possibility of a case of Ebola occurring in BC.

Health Minister Terry Lake has announced the creation of a coordinating task force to help prepare for the possibility of a case of Ebola occurring in BC. The task force will review training in all health authorities to ensure it is being applied consistently across the province and is based on the current national guidelines.

While BCNU is pleased to hear steps are being taken by the provincial government to establish Ebola readiness if a case arises, we urge the government to adopt standardized provincial protocols and ensure there is site leadership in place to oversee implementation. It's important to note that BCNU has not been involved at this point in the "Ebola Preparedness Task Force."

BCNU believes our communication with all health authorities and the Health Ministry must be ongoing in order to address frontline nurses' concerns effectively. We are also committed to ensuring the current national guidelines will go far enough to protect health care workers.

It is critical our members receive repeated training and are able to demonstrate competency in all practices and procedures related to Ebola. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has previewed revised personal protective equipment (PPE) recommendations and changes include:

Prior to working with Ebola patients, health care professionals need to engage in repeated hands-on training and demonstrate competence in putting on and removing PPE
Use of full PPE with no skin exposure
Implementation of a system where at all times a trained supervisor observes and documents the putting on and removing of PPE

Read the full update from the US CDC here: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/procedures-for-ppe.html

In order to implement the latest guidelines, it is imperative that all health authorities ensure supplies of appropriate PPE are readily available in adequate numbers.

BCNU supports fight against Ebola in West Africa

Recognizing the global importance of containing Ebola at source, the BCNU Council voted Thursday to donate $10,000 to Doctors Without Borders for their Ebola work. Council also vowed to lobby for provincial and federal governments to increase their support for African nations struggling to deal with the disease.