Ebola Could Come To Montana
Should there be more victims of the Ebola virus in the United States they could very likely be flown to Missoula for treatment. St. Patrick's hospital in Missoula is just one of four facilities in the nation equipped to handle someone stricken with the disease. To cope with the special requirements of containment of Ebola they have 3 rooms that handle what is considered a "Level 4" safety concern which is for exotic agents that may or may not have cures available. The rooms have what are called "anterooms" (essentially a room within a room) where medical staff can change into protective gear that feature negative air pressure so that air can only be sucked in and not flow out. They also have complicated filtration systems to remove airborne pathogens and infectious organisms.
That said, there are currently no Ebola victims requiring care here in Montana and there are no plans at the moment to fly anyone in but they are at the ready should they be needed. Other than the 2 healthcare professionals who contracted the virus in Liberia who were flown back for treatment and are back to normal health there has been only two reported cases of the disease in the United States. The first was a Liberian patient who died at a Dallas hospital earlier this month after being misdiagnosed and the second is one of the first victims' caregivers.