Midtown Medical Center has met the Georgia Department of Public Health requirements for safe and effective treatment of patients with a serious infectious disease such as the Ebola virus disease and has been designated a Tier I Treatment Hospital for Serious Infectious Diseases. It is one of only four hospitals so designated in Georgia. Tier 1 Treatment Hospitals are staffed, equipped and have been assessed to have current capabilities, training and resources to provide the complex treatment necessary to care for a person with a serious infectious disease while minimizing risk to health care workers.

Tier I designation followed months of preparation involving clinical and ancillary services across the hospital, according to Ryan Chandler, president of Midtown Medical Center. Laura Drew, senior vice president for Quality and Regulatory Compliance for Columbus Regional Health, leads the hospital’s preparedness effort.

“We are proud to have met the rigorous state and federal guidelines for this designation,” Chandler said. “We commend Laura Drew for her leadership and the physicians and employees who worked so hard to achieve this,” he added.

The assessment process included a site visit by an interdisciplinary team of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) representatives, but ultimately the designation was made by state and local public health authorities, in collaboration with hospital officials. Assessment criteria focused on all aspects of caring for patients through the full disease process, including infection control, personal protective equipment use, and supplies and training.