Public health agencies have been on alert since the first cases of the Ebola virus appeared in the United States this month. In Unalaska, those concerns are amplified by the town’s unique geography and large, international workforce.

Ann Nora Ehret is the medical director for Iliuliuk Family & Health Services. She says they've fielded a lot of calls from worried residents, asking about their plans for preventing an outbreak.

"I know there’s a lot of anxiety about the unknown with Ebola," Ehret says.

To help cut down on that, the clinic is holding a town hall meeting tonight about Ebola. State public health officials will call in to help take questions from residents, and clinic staff will share their emergency plans.

Ehret says the clinic has been taking stock of their protective gear and reviewing the CDC recommendations for using it. And Ehret is coordinating with the Coast Guard and Guardian Flight, a commercial medevac company serving Unalaska.

"We’re already in a geographically vulnerable community, so we have an excellent emergency preparedness plan and personnel to address anything that might come our way," Ehret says.

She’s also been reaching out to local fish processing companies about how they’re screening workers for their peak season in January.

Right now, the Ebola outbreak is mostly contained to West Africa. The human resources director for UniSea, Unalaska’s biggest processor, says they don’t typically recruit workers from that region.

At Westward and Alyeska Seafoods, a basic physical exam is part of the recruitment process. An HR representative says their nurses are following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for handling Ebola. As part of that, they’re taking every job candidate’s temperature, and asking them about recent travel. Recruitment staff are also being monitored for signs of illness.

Local health officials will explain all those precautions at their meeting tonight. It begins at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall.