The Ebola virus may not be in the news as much as it once was, but hospitals and health systems such as Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston have taken steps to prepare for the virus.
In fact, the hospital spent more than $1 million to prepare for Ebola, according to a Boston Business Journal report.
This year, Massachusetts General has upgraded and renovated its infectious disease unit in preparation for two Ebola patients, hospital staff told the Boston Business Journal. Additionally, the hospital spent about $500,000 on personal protective equipment, according to the report.
Officials from the hospital told the Boston Business Journal that at least about $500,000 also was spent to train 350 hospital staff members "specifically to handle Ebola."
"Ebola won't go away anytime soon, and even when the outbreak is controlled in Africa, there will still be other emerging infectious diseases," Paul Biddinger, Massachusetts General's director of emergency preparedness, said in the report. "All of this is applicable and helpful and we're in it for the long haul. We want to provide good care to patients no matter what the emerging infectious threat may be."