Gov. Terry McAuliffe to tour the Unique Pathogen Unit at VCU Medical Center

By Carissa Etters

Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center will host Gov. Terry McAuliffe to tour the Unique Pathogen Unit this week. VCU Medical Center is one of 55 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ebola Treatment Centers in the country and is now vying to become a Regional Ebola Treatment Center for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Region III. 

The tour is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, and will begin promptly at 1:15 p.m. Media members interested in covering the visit are asked to meet at the entrance of North Hospital located at 1300 E. Marshall St. at 12:45 p.m. They will then be escorted to the Unique Pathogen Unit. 

Media must RSVP by close of business Tuesday, May 12. 

The Unique Pathogen Unit at VCU Medical Center is a self-contained unit that is designed to treat all unique pathogen patients, including those with Ebola Virus Disease. The team worked closely with the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and emergency planners throughout the state in the creation of this self-contained unit. The Unique Pathogen Unit team is staffed with experts in all aspects of caring for a patient with Ebola, including staff training, infection control, personal protective equipment use and even details such as handling and management of the trash from the patient’s room. 

The Regional Ebola Treatment Center for HHS Region III will cover the entire region, which includes: 

·        Virginia

·        Washington, D.C.

·        West Virginia

·        Maryland

·        Delaware

·        Pennsylvania

If named the regional treatment facility, VCU Medical Center would be one of 10 facilities in the country supported by HHS to offer this level of treatment and care. 

Following the conclusion of the tour, members of the media will be encouraged to walk through the unit and speak with Lisa Brath, M.D., medical director of the Unique Pathogen Unit, and her team of clinicians; Robin Manke, director of communications and emergency management; and Gene Peterson, M.D., Ph.D., chief quality and safety officer.