The President on Tuesday afternoon convened his national security and public health teams to discuss Ebola preparedness at home and the whole-of-government approach to contain the epidemic at its source in West Africa. The President’s advisors noted the Department of Health and Human Services-led effort to ensure hospitals and our broader health system are prepared to identify and isolate an Ebola case and, as necessary, stabilize, transport, or treat the patient. The President’s team then updated him on the rigorous, multilayered measures in place to screen individuals traveling from the affected West African countries. His advisors also discussed the monitoring requirements to which these individuals are subject upon arrival in the United States. They noted that many states have adopted measures that track closely with the science-based federal guidelines that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued last week. On the international front, participants agreed that, despite initial signs of progress in Liberia, we must continue to tackle this challenge aggressively with all of the tools, both civilian and military, at our disposal—and in close coordination with the selfless health care workers who have admirably chosen to deploy to the frontlines. The President reminded his team that only by containing and ending the epidemic in West Africa will we be able to ensure there are no additional cases domestically.
Participants:
- The Vice President
- Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Defense
- Sylvia Burwell, Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Secretary
- Denis McDonough, Chief of Staff
- Susan Rice, National Security Advisor
- Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (via video teleconference)
- Samantha Power, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (via video teleconference)
- Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
- Ron Klain, Ebola Response Coordinator
- Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Rand Beers, Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security
- Nancy Powell, Ebola Coordinator, Department of State
- Gayle Smith, Senior Director for Development and Democracy, National Security Council