Philadelphia Hospitals Designated for Ebola Care

Health officials have designated two Philadelphia hospitals as Ebola treatment centers.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services included the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on a list Tuesday of 35 designated hospitals across the country.

A Penn hospital spokeswoman says they’ve been preparing for the possibility of caring for an Ebola patient for months and have special isolation rooms ready to go.

Others designated hospitals are clustered in metropolitan areas like New York City, San Francisco and Washington D.C.

They’re deemed to have staff, equipment and training to safely care for Ebola.

West Africa is currently suffering the worst Ebola outbreak in history, with more than 15,900 illnesses and at least 5,700 deaths. Four cases have been diagnosed in the United States.