COLUMBUS — The list of 35 U.S. hospitals designated as Ebola treatment centers includes no Ohio facilities, though the state is assessing which care sites are best positioned to handle potential cases.

The facilities on the list released by the federal government were deemed to have the staff, equipment and training to safely and effectively provide care if new Ebola cases emerge. Officials said more hospitals will be added to the list in the coming weeks to provide wider geographic coverage.

In Ohio, state officials are working with the Ohio Hospital Association to determine the best locations for treatment if a case occurs, Department of Health spokeswoman Melanie Amato told The Columbus Dispatch.

A state plan still in the works would divide the state into eight regions with at least one designated hospital in each region, Amato said. The development of that plan includes conversations with local and federal officials and the governor’s office, and the timing for its completion is unclear, she said.

Meanwhile, if a case did occur in Ohio, the patient probably would go to one of the designated treatment centers, CDC spokeswoman Melissa Brower told the newspaper. On the current list, the centers closest to Ohio are in Chicago.

Each hospital in Ohio has conducted preparedness drills and is equipped to evaluate a potential Ebola patient, Amato said.

Ohio has had no Ebola cases, though officials are monitoring the health of certain travelers with connections to West Africa.

They also monitored people who had contact with a Dallas nurse diagnosed with Ebola after she visited Ohio. None of those people showed symptoms, and the nurse, Amber Vinson, has recovered.

First Published December 3, 2014, 7:38 p.m.