Biden: U.S. Needs a Hospital That Can Handle Ebola In ‘Every State of the Union’

CNSNews.com ^ | November 14, 2014 | Penny Starr

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

(CNSNews.com) – Speaking at a White House event on Thursday to discuss the Obama administration’s response to the Ebola virus epidemic, Vice President Joe Biden said the United States should have a hospital that is capable of treating the disease in “every state of the Union.”

A reporter from the Wall Street Journal quoted Biden in the pool press report, which is e-mailed to other reporters, after the vice president met with “leaders of faith, humanitarian, and non-governmental organizations that are responding to the Ebola crisis in West Africa and educating their communities about Ebola-related issues here at home,” according to the White House statement on the event.

“Biden said that the United States needs a hospital that's able to respond to Ebola in ‘every state of the Union,’” the pool report stated. “Why take the chance, he asked, noting that the administration was not expecting Ebola cases in every single state in the union.”

On Sept. 16, President Barack Obama spoke at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about how the country’s medical experts and hospital were “prepared” to deal with the virus.

“In the unlikely event that someone with Ebola does reach our shores, we’ve taken new measures so that we’re prepared here at home,” Obama said. “We’re working to help flight crews identify people who are sick, and more labs across our country now have the capacity to quickly test for the virus.”

“We’re working with hospitals to make sure that they are prepared, and to ensure that our doctors, our nurses and our medical staff are trained, are ready, and are able to deal with a possible case safely,” Obama said.

On Oct. 7, Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expressed confidence in the U.S. health care system in a blog on the CDC website.

“We have learned immensely from this first U.S.-diagnosed case and we are implementing additional actions to make sure health care workers and hospitals around the nation are as prepared and informed as possible,” Frieden said. “CDC is committed to making sure every U.S. health care system and health care worker is prepared for Ebola.”

But after the death of Liberian Thomas Eric Duncan from Ebola at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Texas on Oct. 8 and two nurses who treated him being diagnosed with the disease, the government assigned the women to two of the few U.S. hospitals deemed capable of caring for the women – the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda Maryland and Emory Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. (Both nurses are now free of Ebola.)

The pool reporter stated in his email that the event was meant to send a signal to Congress to approve the $6.18 billion the Obama administration has asked for in emergency funding “to continue to prevent, detect and respond to the Ebola epidemic.”

The pool reporter noted that Ebola Response Coordinator Ron Klain spoke for two minutes and Senior Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett spoke even less, citing laryngitis.

Biden, however, spoke for 25 minutes to those on hand, which included World of Hope, ONE, Bread for the World, the International Medical Corps, World Vision, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Save the Children and the law firm Latham & Watkins, according to the pool report.

"I'll be very blunt,” Biden said. “The emergency funding request that we have on the Hill now; I'm going to be completely honest.”

“We need you and your constituents to help carry the word because, your views -- each individual organization that's represented here -- carries a lot more weight in this environment, this political environment we find ourselves in, than anything I can say, the president can say, Speaker Boehner can say,” Biden said. “It is the currency that is most negotiable.”

“I'm being very blunt with you in addition to thanking you,” Biden said. “The more you continue your advocacy for the need for this emergency funding, the better we all will be."

According to the CDC, as of Nov. 12, 5,147 people have died from Ebola in three West Africa nations of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, with a handful of cases and deaths in other countries in the region.

[null and void]

If a quarantine saves just one child's life, it's worth it.

Bring out your dead! The Dark Man cometh! Bring out your dead! The Dark Man cometh! Bring out your......

(Since all records of obama's past were lost in a tragic boating accident and fire, no one can be certain that the guy in the red circle isn't him...)

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

My idea wouldn’t be like what Joe has in mind, of course. I would just allow immediate expensing of infrastructure and equipment capable of handling Level 4 biohazards from the tax bills of hospitals. Each hospital can then make the decision on its own whether it wants to build a Level 4 facility.

[Lumper20]

Agree. And how about we put a permanent travel ban on the damn Ebola countries. The only travel is FOUO.

[Lumper20]

I disagree. This is not a disease that occurs in the US.

[ansel12]

There aren’t bio 4 levels in treatment centers, only in research labs but he wasn’t talking about those super clinics anyway was he, the experts say that they are overkill for Ebola and are capable of treating much worse infectious diseases than Ebola.

I assumed he just meant one hospital per state to have an area set up and ready to treat Ebola.

[StormEye]

"Once these facilities are established, they’ll stock them with frehsly flown in new patients from west Africa

Exactly! America"s health care system will be for everyone -- except Americans.

[TBall]

When I was seeing my doctor last week the friendly receptionist asked me the standard Ebola questions about travel to Africa and possible exposure. I commented on how there was not in the news much so it must not be a problem. She gave me a look and said that the rumors going around were not good. I commented on how the mainstream press was not exactly as free as we were told it was in school and she agreed. Not that it matters, but she seemed to be a very nice black woman.

[kearnyirish2]

That makes sense; living here in NJ I certainly hope our hospitals can handle Ebola (we have plenty of West Africans here).

[Bigg Red]

“Biden said that the United States needs a hospital that’s able to respond to Ebola in ‘every state of the Union,’”....

(((
Okay, follow the money. I guarantee that there are administration cronies looking to make much money from supplying said hospitals.

[Recompennation]

How is the second / African descent Ebola case being treated in the states? Number one (zero patient) did not make it....
Wonder how ginning up the facilities is really going. Must be good for business. What you don’t know can’t hurt you ¿
Numbers numbers numbers? except for your pot belly I give it a 10 for size.

[Smokin' Joe]

Ping...

A link to this thread has been posted on the Ebola Surveillance Thread

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

except for your pot belly I give it a 10 for size.

HEY!

I resemble that remark.

[ully2]

Old Joe must know Obama is importing Ebola.

[Recompennation]

except for your pot belly I give it a 10 for size.
HEY!
I resemble that remark. ...
Didn’t mean you no dis rspect. I just heard about this...

[Sensei Ern]

To paraphrase the Joker, “This country needs an enema.”

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!