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NEW YORK, NY, October 21, 2014…Thousands of healthcare workers representing dozens of clinical and non-clinical positions attended an Ebola educational session at the Javits Center today that featured Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York City-area infection control experts who provided a comprehensive program on caring for potential Ebola patients in the safest manner possible, including a handson demonstration of wearing and removing personal protective equipment.



The event, which was also watched by thousands nationally via webcast, complemented the hands-on, facilitybased trainings taking place at hospitals in New York and throughout the country.



Co-hosted by the GNYHA/1199SEIU Healthcare Education Project and the national Partnership for Quality Care, the Ebola educational session demonstrated the deep commitment, in New York and nationally, of hospital labor and management to work together to deliver the highest level of patient care while providing the highest level of safety for healthcare workers. Speakers/presenters included:



George Gresham, President, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (1199SEIU)

Kenneth Raske, President, Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA)

Arjun Srinivasan, MD, Associate Director for Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention Programs, CDC

Bernard J. Tyson, Chairman and CEO, Kaiser Permanente, and Chair, Partnership for Quality Care (PQC)

Mary Bassett, MD, MPH, Commissioner, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Howard Zucker, MD, JD, Acting Commissioner, NYS Department of Health



Other presenters included Bryan Christensen, MD, CDC’s Domestic Control Team for the Ebola Response; Brian Koll, MD, FACP, Executive Director of Infection Prevention at Mount Sinai Health System; Nathan Littman, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs, and Pediatric Infectious Disease Attending at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore; and Barbara Smith, RN, BSN, MPA, CIC, Mount Sinai Health System.



“The healthcare workers of 1199SEIU are committed to working with hospital leadership to ensure the safety of patients and caregivers in the response to possible Ebola cases,” said 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East President George Gresham. “We believe the most effective way to prepare is by collaboratively including frontline healthcare workers in education, planning and procedures. It is vital that healthcare workers have the very best training, tools and protective gear. We are ready and willing to address any potential crisis and protect our communities and our nation.”



“New York’s hospitals are deeply committed to ensuring that their most valuable resource—their workers—are properly trained and educated to respond to potential Ebola cases,” said GNYHA President Kenneth E. Raske. “We stand ready 24/7 to provide the finest care while protecting our healthcare workforce.”



"I appreciate the CDC working with the Partnership for Quality Care (PQC) on this important Ebola educational session," said Bernard J. Tyson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente and chairman of the board of PQC. "The intent is to help frontline health care workers and hospital operations teams better understand the most effective approach to providing high-quality care for patients while also taking appropriate steps to protect their health and the health of their co-workers and communities."



“We want all our U.S. healthcare workers to know how to initially handle a patient who may have Ebola safely,” said Dr. Arjun Srinivasan, Associate Director for Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention Programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “This training is part of our efforts to help ensure our healthcare colleagues can protect themselves as they provide this important care to patients. We are eager to continue to partner with them to ensure we respond to their ongoing need for information and guidance.”



“Our healthcare workers are on the frontlines of New York City’s Ebola response,” said New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett. “It’s critical that they have not only the proper training, but also the confidence to handle suspected Ebola cases safely. Today’s educational session is one way we are working with our partners to ensure that healthcare workers and first responders can do their jobs safely and effectively.”



"The safety and well-being of our health care workforce is a top priority as we confront the Ebola epidemic," said New York State Department of Health Acting Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. "We are relying on their expertise and skills to help us care for patients who become sick, and we must protect our health care workers from this disease. The state Department of Health is actively working with hospitals to discuss strategies for keeping the workforce healthy."



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The Healthcare Education Project is a joint initiative of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and the Greater New York Hospital Association to educate the public and public officials about maintaining and supporting New York’s healthcare system and ensuring the continued delivery of high-quality healthcare to all New Yorkers.



The Partnership for Quality Care is a national labor-management coalition committed to ensuring quality, affordable healthcare for everyone in America. It includes public, private, religious, teaching, and non-profit hospitals nationwide and integrated health systems, and the nation's largest healthcare union, SEIU, with more than one million nurses, doctors and healthcare workers. Our members care for more than 50 million patients annually.

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