Governor Susana Martinez has directed the New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) to coordinate the state’s Ebola preparedness plan to be ready in the unlikely event there is an Ebola case diagnosed in New Mexico. DOH will coordinate the state’s Ebola preparedness plan between state agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM), as well as local governments, hospitals, and healthcare providers throughout the state to ensure New Mexico is ready to handle any potential cases of Ebola.
“The risk of New Mexicans contracting Ebola is very, very low, but I want to assure everyone that we are taking the necessary steps to prepare for the unlikely event of cases in New Mexico,” said Governor Martinez. “The Department of Health and the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management are monitoring developments very closely, and our Emergency Operation Center can be activated within minutes, if necessary.”
The Department participates in daily conference calls with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stay up to date with the latest information concerning the U.S. government’s preparations for and response to Ebola. Additionally, the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has staff on standby 24/7 and has access to state resources if they need to be deployed quickly to affected areas anywhere in New Mexico.
DOH is in regular contact with healthcare personnel across the state providing information and conducting webinars and enhanced training to help them prepare them for a possible Ebola patient. The Department has provided hospitals, clinics, and emergency medical services statewide with guidelines for evaluation of potential Ebola patients.
“We are working closely with healthcare workers to provide information and education about Ebola,” said Department of Health Secretary Retta Ward, MPH. “The Department has on-call epidemiologists available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer any questions healthcare providers may have, and to give guidance on what steps to take if a patient with symptoms shows up in their facility.”
Ebola is a virus spread through direct contact with the body fluids of a person who is sick with the virus. Ebola is not spread through the air or by food or water, and anyone carrying the Ebola virus is not contagious until symptoms appear.
Information from the Office of NM Governor