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Global Zika Emergency Spurs Multidisciplinary Response at Johns Hopkins

August 31, 2016

A hospital-based program formed to coordinate the care of Zika patients concentrates several specialties under one roof. An online center supports the effort, and reaches out to international patients.

Johns Hopkins Medical Center has opened a center to provide multidisciplinary care for people infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus and the Baltimore-based health system hopes to attract international patients to the unique care setting.

The Johns Hopkins Wilmer Zika Center gathers several specialties—epidemiology, infectious diseases, maternal-fetal medicine, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, pediatrics, physiotherapy, psychiatry, and social work—at one site to provide comprehensive care for patients infected with the virus.

"Patients will no longer be required to travel to multiple centers for care relating to Zika virus," William May, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, said in a media release. "Physicians and staff members in various departments at Johns Hopkins will be available to provide comprehensive care to patients within one institution."

Johns Hopkins marketers are driving potential patients from across the globe to the microsite, which promotes the center using the tagline "Responding to the Challenge."

"With increasing numbers of Zika virus infections across 69 countries and territories, including nearly 2,000 documented cases within the contiguous United States, the center has harnessed Johns Hopkins experts across multiple clinical and research disciplines to address this global health emergency," the website states.

Rubens Belfort Jr., MD, PhD, MBA, Brazil's premier ophthalmic expert on Zika, is the center's advisor.

The microsite includes a large call-to-action for medical tourists, directing patients to the hospital's medical concierge services and international and out-of-state phone numbers. Online resources are available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

"Whether you're crossing the country or the globe, we make it easy to access world-class care at Johns Hopkins," the call-to-action reads.

The hospital has been promoting the center on Facebook and Twitter, and the center's physicians have been giving interviews to the local media outlets.

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