Testifying on behalf of the American Hospital Association, an infection control expert May 25 told a Senate panel that preparations for a potential avian flu pandemic are part of hospitals’ “all-hazards” preparedness plans but stressed that a pandemic will pose unique challenges. Nancy Donegan, director of infection control at the Washington (DC) Hospital Center, told the Senate Special Committee on Aging that during a pandemic or other “sustained disaster,” hospitals will face limited surge capacity and a shortage of personnel, ventilators, gloves, masks, gowns and drugs.
“Hospitals do not have the means to create infrastructure or capacity with current funding,” Donegan told the panel. “If the nation is to be protected, hospitals will look to the federal government for greater resources to meet the anticipated burden.”
[ via AHA News ]
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