Gov. Rick Scott is calling on all Florida hospitals to step up to ensure the safety of their workers after a Texas nurse has now been infected with the Ebola virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the worker at the Dallas hospital wore protective gear when treating the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. -- Thomas Eric Duncan -- who just died last week from the disease.
Officials are still investigating but said a protocol breach led to the nurse being infected.
Back in the Sunshine State, Scott is now mandating extra precautions for hospital workers when it comes to protecting themselves from a potential infection.
The governor wants the more than 200 hospitals in the state to be on the ready. This means safety training to protect themselves in case a patient in their care is identified as one infected with the Ebola virus.
The governor's mandate involves all health care professionals at hospitals undergo Ebola protection training programs.
He is also asking Florida hospitals to notify the Department of Health once that training is complete.
Additionally, the health department will provide a new reporting structure for all the hospitals, documenting each facilities' preparedness, as in the mandatory training and protective equipment on hand to protect workers from the virus.
Healthcare workers at Orlando Regional Medical Center demonstrated for News 13 how they train teams of workers to safely put on and take off protective suits. One of the first lines of defense in keeping the virus from spreading to those trying to help.
"We continue training and we are going to be even more focused in making sure our team members are receiving more training to make sure that they are safe," said Leona Stout-Demps, ORMC's site education manager.
Health officials with Orlando health said they have more than 200 medical professionals trained system wide.
Of the three hospital systems in Brevard, only Parrish Medical Center in Titusville, has issued a statement on the mandate, saying "Parrish Medical Center's care teams are well prepared, coordinate closely with the Florida Department of Health, and follow the most up to date CDC recommended infection control protocols."
"We are actively preparing educational materials and all precautions are being taken to protect patients and employees, according to a spokesperson at Florida Hospital Fish Memorial in Orange City,
Scott said last week he requested 100 units of protective gear from the CDC, but so far they haven't been delivered.