The Dallas hospital where Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan was treated, and where two nurses who worked on him contracted the disease, apologized again for making "mistakes" — this time in a letter published via full-page ad in two local newspapers Sunday.
"The fact the Mr. Duncan had traveled to Africa was not communicated effectively," the letter, written by Texas Health Resources CEO Barclay Berdan, read. "For that we are deeply sorry." Texas Health Resources owns Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where Duncan visited three days before he was admitted and diagnosed with Ebola. Duncan died Oct. 8.
The ad — taken out in the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram — admitted that the hospital "made mistakes in handling this very difficult challenge," in part because "training and education programs had not been fully deployed before the virus struck."
The letter said the hospital was searching for answers regarding why nurses Nina Pham and Amber Vinson also contracted the disease. Pham was transferred from Texas Health Presbyterian to a National Institutes of Health facility in Bethesda, Maryland, and Vinson was flown to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, after her diagnosis. The letter said Texas Health Presbyterian was working with the Centers for Disease Control to improve their response methods. "Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas is a safe place for employees and patients," the letter said.
IN-DEPTH
- U.N. Ebola Chief: World 'Was Not Prepared' for This Outbreak
- Texas Ebola Hospital Executive: 'We Fell Short' in First Response
- Ebola in America: Who's Being Watched Most Closely
SOCIAL
— Elisha Fieldstadt