Mass. Lawmakers Holding Ebola Readiness Hearing

A legislative panel is trying to determine if Massachusetts is ready to deal with Ebola.

The Legislature's Public Health Committee has scheduled an oversight hearing Thursday to review response plans by the state should any cases be reported in Massachusetts.

State Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez of Boston and Sen. John Keenan of Quincy co-chair the committee.

They've invited several experts to testify at the 10 a.m. hearing, including Dr. Michael VanRooyen of Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health, and UMass Memorial Medical Center President Patrick Muldoon.

Gov. Deval Patrick has tried to reassure the public, noting that there have been no cases of Ebola in Massachusetts and the likelihood of the disease reaching the state is low.

But he added the state's health care system was gearing up, just in case.