On the edge of the University of Mississippi Medical Center's campus in Jackson, sits the hospital's former rehabilitation center. The building which was recently deactivated, is now being retrofitted to become a stand-alone isolation facility to treat patients with infectious diseases like Ebola. Jonathan Wilson is the chief administrative officer at UMMC.
"Mississippi has zero cases of Ebola." says Wilson. "We are not currently monitoring any patients with potential Ebola virus disease, and although the risk for Ebola in Mississippi is low, we still need to be prepared."
State Health Officer Doctor Mary Currier doesn't believe Mississippi will be affected by Ebola, but needs to be prepared anyway.
"We'll be monitoring travelers who come from these affected countries." Currier says. "So we'll know if they get sick, and now we have a place where they can come to receive care and keep everybody safe."
Officials with the medical center say they hope to have the isolation facility up and running by the beginning of December.
