Rush doctors receive specialized Ebola training

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Illinois has a hotline up and running for anyone with Ebola questions and Chicago is taking steps to be prepared if there is a case here.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be convening a meeting of his cabinet on Friday to talk about the city's Ebola response, this as hospitals gear up.

ILLINOIS EBOLA HOTLINE: 800-889-3931

Intense training is underway at one local hospital right now in the event Ebola reaches the Chicago area. Rush University Medical Center allowed ABC7 Eyewitness News inside for a first-hand look at what they're doing to prepare.

City officials have not yet designated a single go-to hospital in Chicago for treatment of Ebola patients. But doctors at Rush University Medical Center say they're uniquely-equipped for such a response.

In the specialized unit, nothing is left to chance.

Every staff member covered in a head-to-toe gown and face mask, along with two layers of gloves with duct tape sealing all seams.

Multiple eyes make sure all bases are covered.

"A little bit of heightened awareness and anxiety makes you careful because you take the time to stop and be deliberate about what you are doing," said Lisa Oslovich, intensive Care nurse, Rush University Medical Center.

If Ebola comes to Chicago, doctors at Rush say they're ready. A core group of 21 nurses and nine physicians are receiving specialized training.

"These patients can lose 15 liters of body fluid in a four or five or six hour period, so being able to keep up with that requires a huge team of people that are intricately in step," Dr. Omar Lateef, Rush University Medical Center.

"We went above and beyond what the CDC is recommending, so we are very confident that even if they change their recommendations, we will be prepared and ready to go," said RN Patty Nedved, Head of Training, Rush University Medical Center.

Officials say Rush is uniquely equipped for infection control. The hospital, completed in 2011, was designed for a large-scale response to a bioterror attack or deadly pandemic.

Features include an ambulance bay that can be turned into a huge decontamination room specialized ventilation to isolate the air in rooms or entire wards and robotic equipment to minimize cross-contamination.

"Our staff are always preparing to take care of patients with infectious illnesses this is taking it up a notch," Nedved said.

But doctors at Rush acknowledge that despite the training and equipment, Ebola response is unchartered territory.

"You need practice and a knowledge base," Dr. Lateef said. "We have a knowledge base, but none of these institutions in Chicago have practice because there's zero cases of Ebola here."

At the four U.S. hospitals that are specially-trained in Ebola response, none of which are in Chicago, the staff has drilled for years. At Rush, they don't have that luxury. But they say they're confident in their level of readiness.

Thursday night at a community meeting, members of the nurses' union said all staff at all hospitals should be afforded this kind of training.

"Just as you would not send a soldier into war without proper equipment, the registered nurses and the other healthcare workers need to have the proper equipment," said Arlene McFadden, National Nurses United.

With growing questions from the public, the state has set up a call center. That information line is now up and running.

At O'Hare International Airport, Thursday was day one of enhanced screening, the measures first introduced at New York's JFK Airport last weekend. Passengers arriving from West Africa are checked for fever with a touchless thermometer and questioned about their health.

"They asked me how I'm feeling, and pretty much I'm feeling okay. I think they're doing a good job, pretty much," said traveler George Sarpong.

But is it all enough?

Thursday night, at least one Chicago alderman is calling for public hearings.

"Questions should be addressed, and I think as a public body, we should be able to have all these things answered, rightly, expeditiously," 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas said.