Battered By Harvey, Houston’s Hospitals Become ‘Islands Of Humanity’ In Midst Of Storm
The flood waters are straining Houston's medical system, but hospitals and providers are doing what they can to help victims. And while much of the focus at the moment is on immediate concerns, widespread public health dangers loom on the horizon.
The New York Times:
Houston’s Hospitals Treat Storm Victims And Become Victims Themselves
Water poured into hospitals. Ambulances were caught up in roiling floodwaters. Medical transport helicopters were grounded by high winds. Houston’s world-renowned health care infrastructure found itself battered by Hurricane Harvey, struggling to treat storm victims while becoming a victim itself. The coming days will inevitably bring more hazards for storm-damaged hospitals and nursing homes, and their patients and staff. The scenes of turmoil across Texas raised the specter of the extreme flooding following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when dozens of hospital and nursing home patients died, and doctors awaiting rescue at one stranded, powerless hospital became so desperate, they intentionally hastened the deaths of their patients. (Fink and Blinder, 8/28)
The Wall Street Journal:
Amid Harvey Flooding, Hospitals Offer ‘Islands Of Humanity’
Doctors waded miles through Houston’s flooded roads to reach their clinics. Other medical staff camped out at their hospitals for days, catching some sleep on cots between shifts. One medical facility was forced to evacuate patients by boat. The health-care system in the nation’s fourth-largest city strained to deliver care as floodwaters thwarted cancer and kidney-dialysis treatment, stalled ambulance traffic and left hospital officials worriedly monitoring dwindling supplies of food and medicines. (Evans, Walker and Loftus, 8/28)
Modern Healthcare:
Texas Hospitals Have Been Preparing For Harvey For Years
In 2001, during Tropical Storm Allison, some of Texas Medical Center's 23 hospitals were devastated, with structural damage and research lost. Texas Medical Center facilities flooded, forcing patients to be evacuated, sometimes in the dark. Animals in the Baylor College of Medicine's basement died in floodwater. If there was a silver lining, it was that the storm catalyzed a slew of flood protections, including new floodgates, above-ground electrical and water-pump systems, animals kept on higher floors, and, for UT Physicians, battery backups for refrigerators that store important medications (such as tetanus vaccines). (Arndt, 8/28)
The Associated Press:
Flooding Disrupts Care At Houston Hospital, Cancer Center
One of the nation's busiest trauma centers began clearing space Monday for the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey even as the storm continued its days-long onslaught of rain. Ben Taub Hospital personnel transferred a handful of patients to other facilities and took much needed deliveries of food and fresh linens after spending the weekend short-staffed and with dwindling supplies, said Bryan McLeod, a spokesman for the Houston hospital's parent company, Harris Health System. (Marchione and Schmall, 8/29)
Politico Pro:
Houston's Health Care System Responds To Harvey
Memorial Hermann, one of the largest health systems in the area, said on Monday that it was moving patients at its Sugar Land Hospital to another Houston hospital in its system as a precautionary measure. CHI St. Luke’s Health said Monday evening that it was moving 50 patients from two of its hospitals to other facilities in its network. “The controlled and deliberate evacuations are being conducted according to the system’s disaster management policies and procedures to ensure the well-being of all involved,” said spokesperson Josh Snellgrove in a statement. (Rayasam, 8/28)
The Associated Press:
Public Health Dangers Loom In Harvey-Hit Areas
The muddy floodwaters now soaking through drywall, carpeting, mattresses and furniture in Houston will pose a massive cleanup challenge with potential public health consequences. It's not known yet what kinds or how much sewage, chemicals and waterborne germs are mixed in the water. For now, health officials are more concerned about drownings, carbon monoxide poisoning from generators and hygiene at shelters. In the months and years to come, their worries will turn to the effects of trauma from Hurricane Harvey on mental health. (Merchant and Johnson, 8/28)
NPR:
Public Health Officials Urge Residents To Beware Of Contaminated Water
As health departments in Texas try to assist people with immediate medical needs following Hurricane Harvey, they're also looking to ensure those affected can get the prescription drugs they need and stay as safe as possible. "Our best advice is always to avoid floodwater as much as you can," says Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. "Of course, people have had to be in the water — they haven't had a choice." (Hsu, 8/28)
The Hill:
GOP Rep Warns Texas Residents: Start Thinking About Tetanus Shots
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) said Monday that Texans affected by Tropical Storm Harvey need to take precautionary steps to protect their personal health, like getting tetanus shots after wading through dirty flood water. "I would like to say in watching this there are a couple things as a result of my Boy Scout background: look ahead, look where people are actually going to need to make sure they have their tetanus shots," Sessions said on CNN's "New Day." (Beavers, 8/28)
The Hill:
Price On Texas Evacuation Controversy: Pointing Fingers Not Helpful
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price on Monday defended Texas officials who did not order an evacuation in the wake of a Category 4 hurricane hitting the state, saying "pointing fingers at this point is not helpful at all." The secretary argued that a large-scale evacuation in the Houston and southeastern Texas region would've been an impossible feat and an inadequate solution when preparing for the charging storm. (Beavers, 8/28)
