{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://teddeutch.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398323", "U.S. Senator Nelson, U.S. Reps. Deutch, Frankel, and Murphy Host Ebola Response Roundtable with Health Officials", "2014-10-20", "2014", "2014-10", "Democrat", "House", "FL", "Ted Deutch", "D000610", "teddeutch.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and U.S. Representatives Ted Deutch (FL-21), Lois Frankel (FL-22), and Patrick Murphy (FL-18) held a roundtable discussion on ongoing efforts at the federal, state, and local levels to respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and to keep Americans safe at home. Participants included Nancy Lindborg, Assistant Administrator for USAID's\u00a0Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance; Dr. J. Glenn Morris Jr., Director of the University of Florida's Emerging Pathogens Institute; Vernon Foret, Director of Field Operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Miami; and leaders from several local hospitals, universities, and health departments.\u00a0\u201cIf we\u2019re confronted with the spread of this disease, it\u2019s important that preparations are made now at the community level,\u201d said Sen. Nelson.\u00a0 \u201cThere is no nation more prepared to lead the global response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa than the United States, and the federal government must use every resource available to get this deadly outbreak under control,\u201d said Rep. Deutch. \u201cWhat today\u2019s roundtable discussion showed us is that alongside these critical international efforts, our federal agencies must coordinate closely with state and local health officials, hospitals, and emergency response teams to ensure that our communities are prepared to effectively and safely respond to any potential infections here at home.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cWhile we must intensify efforts to contain Ebola in West Africa, it is important to make sure that our local health care personnel and hospitals have the necessary protocols and equipment in place to properly handle patients presenting with the disease,\u201d said Rep. Frankel.\u00a0  \r\n\u201cThis heartbreaking humanitarian crisis in Western Africa must not become a public health crisis in America,\u201d said Rep. Murphy. \u201cPreparedness for our health officials across the community, state, and nation are vital in this effort, which is why I thank all of the health officials here today for participating in this important discussion.\u201d The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) granted Florida\u2019s requests to repurpose $7 million in existing grant funds to help the state prepare for a possible outbreak of Ebola. The federal money will be used to purchase additional high-level personal protective equipment for health care workers and other Ebola preparedness supplies.\u00a0Additionally, Florida requested that the CDC provide 30 Ebola testing kits, three of which have already been issued. Also, later today, the CDC will hold a conference call with Florida hospitals about how to identify and react to an infected patient.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://teddeutch.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398323"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6269928999245167, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}