UCLA Medical Center preparing for Ebola

WESTWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is taking steps to prepare in the event that an Ebola patient is admitted.

Dr. Zachary Rubin, head of the medical center's Infection Prevention, says personnel are equipped what they call an "Ebola kit." Every step in using the kit must be followed exactly to the letter, but Rubin says it can be tricky if a member of the staff has never done it before.

"I think unless you drill and get people to do it over and over again to where they're very comfortable, I think there's all kinds of risks of getting exposed," Rubin said.

Nina Pham, the Texas Presbyterian nurse who contracted Ebola, wore a suit that is similar to the ones personnel wear at UCLA. After learning of Pham's situation, healthcare workers have decided to team up to make sure protocol is followed.

"We're generally using the CDC guidelines, although we're actually going a little bit above and beyond the CDC guidelines," Rubin said.

How staff removes protective gear is just as important as how they put it on. In West Africa, personnel uses bleach to disinfect after contact with suspected Ebola patients. It's a practice they may adopt at UCLA.

"We are going through very specific training procedures for healthcare workers that might come into contact with patients who are potentially suspect Ebola patients or confirmed Ebola patients," said Dr. Lynn Ramirez.

A drill is expected to take place at the hospital on Friday.