Coast hospitals are dealing with COVID crisis. What Coast should know as Ida looms
All Gulf Coast health systems are prepared for Hurricane Ida, representatives say, despite being overwhelmed by continually record-breaking numbers of COVID-19 patients.
Singing River Hospitals have enough supplies to last for 96 hours and generator systems to power their locations for over a week, said a spokesperson. Memorial has “an abundance of gas” and emergency generators with five additional on standby, enough supplies to remain self-sufficient during the storm. Ochsner and Merit Health systems across the Coast said they can continue to care for patients amid the hurricane.
Ida, positioned to be a “catastrophic” Category 4 hurricane at landfall, comes as every hospital across the Coast is full with COVID-19 patients as the delta variant continues to ravage the area, a global virus hotspot. Local intensive care units and emergency rooms are crammed while very few beds are available statewide.
“All of our facilities right now, even without the storm, are taxed… all the hospitals are full. Memorial, all of them are absolutely full,” said Randall Cobb, Singing River’s Chief Engineer and Director of Facilities and Maintenance.
“Obviously with COVID, and those high rates, that does change the dynamic more than it ever has. Because we have so many patients on ventilators.
We’re very confident that we can sustain normal operations in all of our facilities, whether it’s emergency surgeries and definitely the high acuity of our patients right now, we feel very poised to do that, if the world cut off to us, a minimum of 96 hours.”
Cynthia O’Brien, ER patient care coordinator at Singing River Hospital in Ocean Springs told the Sun Herald in mid-August she fears her department’s ability to respond to any type of wide scale emergency in the area. COVID patients have significantly slowed down emergent care.
“I don’t know what we’d do. That’s why I sweat. And with all these COVIDs in here, we still have strokes that are coming in. We still have people with heart attacks that come in. Those people need to get taken care of—you can’t let them sit out in the lobby,” she said.
Both Cobb and Memorial’s Chief Administrative Officer April LaFontaine said that Coastal residents should only come into their emergency rooms for “true emergencies” as wait times already range 4-5 hours at minimum.
“Stay off the road and stay safe, unless you have a true emergency. This will allow for us to keep emergency rooms and facilities available for patients who really need them, as well as for first responders and others responding to the emergency,” LaFontaine said.
Singing River and Memorial also both have enough oxygen for the current influx of patients on ventilators with COVID-19, said Cobb and LaFontaine.
“What’s different this time is the number of patients that are on ventilators,” Cobb said. “As a preventative, all of our bulk oxygen and our reserve tanks are topped off. So we can go several weeks without oxygen.”
Singing River
Cobb said that Singing River’s hospitals in Pascagoula, Ocean Springs and Gulfport can self-sustain with fuel, pharmaceuticals, linen and food for about 96 hours any location is directly hit by Ida.
The 96 hour-number is an industry standard based on Hurricane Katrina lessons, Cobb said.
“Ninety-six hours is what they feel is a good time that you can get other resources to help,” Cobb said. “So that means air conditioning, business as usual.”
Singing River has not reached out for state or federal assistance thus far, but is part of a local emergency management association which can provide backup fuel, oxygen or power if need be during the storm. The health system also has streamlined communication and backup radios.
MEMA or FEMA assistance would be needed if any hospital had a direct hit like during Katrina, Cobb said.
“We have to air on the absolute worst scenario possible. And we drill for that, if something happens, there’s no margin of error.”
Memorial
Memorial Hospital in Gulfport is “ready” to serve the community, according to Safety Officer Ken McDowell, and can be self-sufficient during the storm.
“We have emergency power, and we always keep an abundance of supplies so we can care for our patients in emergency situations. This includes food, water, PPE, health care supplies, etc. We always prepare in advance and have these on hand before the weather starts deteriorating,” said LaFontaine.
The hospital’s emergency generators include five additional on standby with an abundance of gas. Their facilities receive “priority” for power and water restoration in the area.
LaFontaine said that Memorial is working through a state-led process to receive MEMA and FEMA resources for their hospitals.
Ochsner and Merit Health
Merit Health in Biloxi said in a statement to the Sun Herald that they will “follow our emergency management plan and continue to care for our patients,” during Hurricane Ida.
Ochsner Health Northshore and Mississippi Gulf Coast Region’s two hospitals, health centers and clinics across the Gulf Coast are “paying close attention” to Ida, and will adhere to protocols in place for weather events.
“Like everyone in this region we are paying close attention to this weather system as it develops. As with every hurricane season, Ochsner Health has protocols and preparations in place to ensure the safety and health of those in our care during weather events,” Wilson Thomas, CEO, Ochsner Medical Center – Hancock, said in a statement.
“We will take the appropriate steps at the right times to ensure everyone’s safety.”
This article is supported by the Journalism and Public Information Fund, a fund of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 12:00 AM.
