October 2, 2014 5:59 PM

Schwertner calls a hearing on Ebola scare in Dallas

"Our first duty is to safeguard the health and safety of our citizens”

Sen. Charles Schwertner, the newly-minted chairman of the Senate Committee on Health & Human Services, announced late Thursday that the panel will hold a hearing next week to discuss the confirmed case of Ebola in Dallas as well as the state's level of preparedness.

The hearing is slated for Tuesday.

"Our first duty is to safeguard the health and safety of our citizens," Schwertner said. "The focus of this hearing is to see that the public has all the facts regarding the Ebola case in Dallas and to ensure that local and state health officials have every resource needed to address this threat quickly and definitively."

In addition to an overview of the unfolding situation in Dallas, the hearing will also seek to assess the state's public health infrastructure, evaluate the ability of state and local governments to respond to public health crises, and identify any legislative actions or statutory changes necessary to protect the public from Ebola and other infectious diseases in the future.

Here’s the full release from Schwertner’s office.