The Alabama Department of Public Health launched an infectious disease network to identify and ensure appropriate treatment for individuals infected in an outbreak.
The network will include three assessment hospitals that will work to identify patients infected with highly transmissible illnesses. The assessment hospitals are Huntsville (Ala.) Hospital, University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital and the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile. If the infection is confirmed at one of these facilities, the patient will then be sent to Emory Medical Center in Atlanta for further treatment.
"Handling these diseases that are new to our health system is a complex process that involves many key players," said Mary McIntyre, MD, ADPH's CMO. "One of the more critical components is the identification and testing of individuals who may be carriers of the disease. For that we have partnered with these three hospitals to serve as assessment centers in an effort to best focus our resources."
To learn more about the infectious disease network, click here.
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