WNPR's Where We Live is kicking off a new, biweekly series in partnership with the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at UConn. The series, called Topline, aims to explore new topics using data pulled from the center's opinion polling archives.
This week, Roper Center Research Manager Kathleen Weldon appeared on the seriesto explain Ebola's impact on public perceptions of local hospitals and health agencies.
In her conversation with host John Dankosky, Weldon emphasized that Americans have historically had a baseline of confidence in their local hospitals.
For instance, explained Weldon, a 2009 AARP poll found that 84 percent of respondents had a favorable opinion about their local hospitals. More specifically, 69 percent said they'd received good medical care from their local institutions.
However, Weldon said sentiments toward hospital care began to shift following the controversial treatment of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan in Dallas, Texas. Duncan, the United State's first Ebola patient, died at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas in early October.
Later that month, a CBS News poll found that only 28 percent of respondents thought their local hospitals were prepared to manage an Ebola outbreak.
But why?
According to Weldon, the low percentage rate has a lot to do with the way the Texas hospital handled Duncan's case. But she said it also has to do with the simple fact that Ebola is a novel threat, a new disease that hospitals are not used to dealing with.
Do you think American hospitals are adequately prepared to handle an outbreak like Ebola? Share your thoughts in the comments below.