One of the bigger stories of the past month or so that the media has made a point of whipping up into hysterical proportions was that of the Ebola pandemic. The fact that a doctor returning from the area of Western Africa to New York City wound up getting quarantined while another physician from Sierra Leone that was airlifted to Nebraska recently died has of course, added to the frenzy. Thankfully, cooler heads have prevailed in the case of Winthrop University Hospital, which recently hosted an Ebola presentation at the Garden City Library that was sponsored by the village’s Property Owners Associations. Led by the hospital’s president and CEO (John F. Collins) and Winthrop’s Chief Medical Officer (Dr. Michael Ammazzalorso), this presentation went a long way towards allaying people’s fears. Not only did Dr. Ammazzalorso point out that there are no current active cases in the United States, he also said that preparedness is the key with Winthrop currently being ready with an established containment approach. He also said this kind of awareness is widespread throughout the country, with medical facilities being much more prepared now than they were before. And while he didn’t say this, the best antidote for the misinformation surrounding Ebola is to watch less media coverage.
— Dave Gil de Rubio
