Since early August, the City of Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services (DPHCS) has been working with partners in the Greater Nashua Public Health Region (GNPHR) to prepare for a suspect Ebola case in our community. The GNPHR consists of the following towns: Amherst, Brookline, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, Lyndeborough, Mason, Merrimack, Milford, Mont Vernon, Nashua, Pelham, and Wilton.
In collaboration with medical partners, specific actions have been taken to prepare and respond to a suspect Ebola case in the Greater Nashua community. The Division is currently monitoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website and is in communication with the NH Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Public Health Services (DPHS), to implement infection control guidance and disseminate information to medical providers and the general population.
In addition to monitoring for situational awareness, the DPHCS staff have actively attended and hosted multiple conference calls and webinars with local and state partners to discuss the current situation and recommended response guidance. Communication with regional municipalities, emergency management directors, health officers, medical partners, and other related organizations has also been a priority. In the past week a screening tool for use in hospitals for emergency department, urgent care and triage staff to use to monitor for suspect Ebola cases was disseminated. As the City of Nashua DPHCS coordinates and plans for our response to a suspect Ebola case in New Hampshire, we will continue to work closely with both hospitals, local medical partners and other key organizations and share widely any updates or information that may put our community at risk for Ebola disease.
“I have the utmost confidence in both our Division of Public Health and Community Services and Emergency Management staff in working with state and local authorities to be certain we are in the best position possible to handle a suspect Ebola case within our community,” added Mayor Donnalee Lozeau.
If you have any questions about regional efforts to plan for our response to a suspect Ebola case, please contact the City of Nashua Division of Public Health and Community Services at 603-589-4560 or visit their website at http://bit.ly/NashuaPHealth where they have been posting the most up-to-date information.
