Page 4 - SOUTH FLORIDA HOSPITAL NEWS AUGUST 2021

Ports in the Storm:

Hospitals’ Essential Role

During Hurricane Season

A revised hurricane fore- winds and flooding from
cast released in July predicts heavy rains and coastal
a very active 2021 Atlantic surges. Whether con-
hurricane season. structing a new hospital or
Researchers predict 20 retrofitting an older one,
named storms, including investments in infrastruc-
nine hurricanes and four ture hardening, flood mit-
major hurricanes. One of igation, and other build-
these, Hurricane Elsa, ing renovations run in the
already made its presence millions, if not billions of
known on Florida’s coast. dollars.
This year is forecast to be the Despite the heavy costs,
sixth in a row of an above- BY MARY MAYHEW hospitals of all sizes from
average number of storms. coast to coast are making
For Florida’s hospitals, these infrastructure
planning for these storms is paramount, investments to protect their facilities
and it occurs year-round, not just during and, most importantly, their ability to
the five months of hurricane season. continue serving their communities
Hospitals’ plans are intended to avoid without interruption.
patient evacuations as much as is safely In South Florida, for example, an
possible as well as hospital closure so assessment in 2000 of a hospital’s
that the community has a reliable source resilience to potential storm damage
for care throughout the storm and its from a hurricane of Category 2 or higher
aftermath. revealed vulnerabilities that could have
Fortunately, hurricanes, unlike other resulted in the hospital being forced to
types of disasters, are “expected” or close or evacuate in the event of a major
“known” events. They are forecast and, hurricane. The hospital retrofitted its
therefore, can be planned for. Every hos- facilities to enable it to withstand a
pital has an emergency plan that governs Category 4 hurricane and winds of up to
roles and responsibilities before, during, 200 miles per hour. With the renovation,
and after a storm. These plans provide today, the hospital is wrapped in a hurri-
detailed guidance on staffing, security, cane-resistant shell – pre-molded panels
power redundancies, supplies and med- of glass fiber-reinforced concrete – and
ications, equipment, facility mainte- has impact-resistant windows and a rein-
nance, evacuation and patient transfer forced roof.
contingencies, and coordination with In Marathon, in the Florida Keys, after
local emergency response, community Hurricane Irma, a new hospital was built
groups, and possible transfer facilities to be able to withstand a Category 5 hur-
further inland. Needed supplies range ricane and have emergency power lasting
from the routine, like saline, bandages, up to four days. Beginning in 2005,
and medical gases, to the unusual, like another hospital upgraded its facility
antivenom to deal with bites from snakes over four years to strengthen the roof,
whose habitats are disrupted by the reduce vulnerability to wind and flood-
storm. Importantly, too, emergency plans ing, and protect medical equipment and
are practiced and drilled so that when generators in addition to installing hurri-
disaster strikes, response can happen cane protective window screening.
quickly and fluidly. From securing emergency generators
These emergency response plans are and security personnel and stockpiling
designed to be flexible and adaptive to medications and supplies to training
each community’s needs and each locali- staff, running preparedness drills, and
ty’s circumstances and are also honed transforming the physical infrastructure,
year after year based on real-world expe- the costs for hospitals of hurricane pre-
riences managing storms and their paredness are numerous and significant.
impacts. But the costs of failing to prepare are far
Emergency response plans are one greater and would leave communities
variable in hospitals’ ability to keep their without a trusted source of care, without
doors open to continue safely caring for a port in the storm, when it is needed the
patients during a hurricane. Another most.
variable is physical infrastructure. To
avoid closure, hospitals’ buildings have Mary Mayhew is President and CEO of
to be able to withstand hurricane-force the Florida Hospital Association.

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4 August 2021 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News