Nurse: Why We're Caring for Ebola Patients in US

It's the right thing to do, medically and ethically, writes Emory's Susan Grant
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 7, 2014 7:18 AM CDT
Nurse: Why We're Caring for Ebola Patients in US
An ambulance transporting Nancy Writebol arrives at Emory University Hospital Tuesday in Atlanta.   (AP Photo/Jason Getz)

As Emory University Hospital in Atlanta treats two patients with Ebola, health officials are taking flak for bringing the contagious disease to the US. The head nurse at Emory, however, thinks everybody should calm down. "Those fears are unfounded and reflect a lack of knowledge about Ebola and our ability to safely manage and contain it," writes Susan Grant in the Washington Post. But more than that, these critics seem to have forgotten the "foundational mission of the US medical system," she writes.

Hospitals exist to care for the sick and to advance medical knowledge, and the Ebola cases hit both points, writes Grant. Should the US turn its back on two charity workers who selflessly helped others? To do so would be a breach of medical ethics. "We can either let our actions be guided by misunderstandings, fear, and self-interest, or we can lead by knowledge, science, and compassion," writes Grant. "We can fear, or we can care." Click to read her full column. (More Ebola stories.)

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