Rick Scott: Florida Hospitals Need Ebola Training

After reports emerged that a health-care worker was infected with the Ebola virus in Dallas Sunday afternoon, Gov. Rick Scott asked Florida hospitals to launch mandatory training for health-care workers on the disease.

In light of what happened in Dallas, we want to make sure those health-care professionals on the front lines have the training and equipment they need to protect their health and safety, Scott said. We are asking every Florida hospital to mandate that all health-care professionals undergo Ebola preparedness training to ensure knowledge of protocols and availability of necessary personal protective equipment. It is very important for Florida hospitals to have the protective gear recommended by the CDC to ensure our health-care professionals are safe in the event we ever have a case of Ebola in Florida.

Were asking Florida hospitals to notify the Department of Health when their personnel have undergone the mandatory training programs, Scott added. In Florida, we are continuing to hope for the best while we prepare for the worst and learn from the developments in Dallas to further improve our own preparedness efforts.