Hospital denies poor training after lawsuit

DALLAS — A hospital operator denied allegations of poor training and improper preparation in seeking dismissal of a lawsuit by a nurse who contracted Ebola while caring for the first U.S. patient to succumb to the disease.

Texas Health Resources filed a response Friday to the March 2 lawsuit by nurse Nina Pham.

Pham, who remains employed at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas but has not returned to work, seeks unspecified damages in her lawsuit.

A man visiting Dallas from Liberia, Thomas Eric Duncan, died Oct. 8 at the hospital. Pham and another nurse contracted Ebola but survived.

Texas Health Resources spokesman Wendell Watson, in a statement Friday, said the company and the hospital acted responsibly to protect their employees, basing their responses on the most up-to-date federal guidelines and with leading experts at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

2 women, 3 children injured in shooting

INDIANAPOLIS — Two women and three children have been wounded in a weekend shooting inside an Indianapolis townhome, police said today.

Authorities reported no arrests, adding three people were being sought.

Lt. Richard Riddle of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said police were called to the home on the city’s northwest side at 9:25 p.m. Sunday. He said two women had been shot along with three children, ages 6, 3 and 6 months.

All were hospitalized in serious condition, police said. The relationship between the victims wasn’t immediately clear and their identities were not immediately disclosed, authorities said.

Canada: Closing won’t block aid

HYDER, Alaska — Canada has closed a border crossing next to a tiny southeastern Alaska town during the overnight hours, but border officials say residents will still have access to emergency medical care.

Canadian officials began closing the road linking Hyder with nearby Stewart, British Columbia, on Wednesday. Hyder residents depend on Stewart for health care and mainland road access.

The cost-cutting measure locks the border gate from midnight to 8 a.m.

Hyder has fewer than 100 residents. Stewart is a few miles away from Hyder and has a population of about 500.

The Canadian Border Services Agency said emergency responders still have 24-hour access as do Hyder residents by telephoning border services.

By The Associated Press