Patient Released From Inglewood Hospital After Ebola Scare

A person who traveled from Liberia and prompted Ebola fears after being taken by ambulance from Los Angeles International Airport to an Inglewood emergency room Wednesday has been released from the hospital, a hospital spokesman said Saturday.

The person was released and walked out of Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood at 8 p.m. Friday, said spokesman Steve Brand.

"The patient, whom we were informed had traveled recently from Liberia, underwent numerous tests, which all came back negative,'' said Linda Bradley, the hospital's chief executive officer, in a statement.

No more evaluation of the patient's condition will be necessary, the hospital said. The patient was kept in a medical isolation unit, and doctors and nurses followed strict protective protocol, while the tests were done.

Testing was also in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, according to the hospital.

Centinela Hospital Medical Center worked closely with federal, state and county experts "to ensure that patients, their families, staff and the community were protected during the evaluation of this patient,'' it said in a statement.

The 369-bed acute care hospital in Inglewood is among the closest to LAX, and it remained open for medical care as usual during the time the patient was an an isolation ward.

In an earlier press release titled "Centinela Hospital Statement of Potential Ebola Patient in ER," hospital officials stressed Wednesday that the patient did not have symptoms of the deadly virus.

"The patient does not have any symptoms of Ebola, however due to travel history appropriate precautions were implemented," the statement said.

By Saturday, several tests had been conducted and the hospital had given the all-clear for the patient to leave.

The patient's dischage on Saturday comes as customs and health officials at New York's Kennedy International Airport began screening passengers arriving from three West African countries.

Federal health officials said the entry screenings, which will expand to four additional U.S. airports in the next week, add another layer of protection to halt the spread of a disease that has killed more than 4,000 people.

NBC4's Kelly Goff, Mekahlo Medina, City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
 

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