Several facilities have been forced to transport critically ill patients, some of whom are on ventilators.
Mary Mayhew, the CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, said 16 hospitals across the state had evacuated or were in the process of evacuating Thursday afternoon.
"A hospital can’t safely care for their patients without water, and they are in the process of working closely with local and state officials to evacuate their patients because it is unclear how soon that water can be restored," Mayhew said.Few hospitals have sustained major physical damage, but hurricane winds stripped part of the roof from an intensive care unit at HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital in Port Charlotte on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, other hospitals are initiating emergency procedures. Flagler Health in St. Johns County went on"soft lockdown" Thursday morning, meaning it is closed to visitors and won’t be performing elective procedures. Mayhew said damage to the electrical grid could also"have a ripple effect across the health care system," because hospitals can’t safely discharge patients to homes or nursing facilities that don't have power.Hurricane Ian could be a preview of what Florida hospitals can expect in the coming decades.by researchers at the Harvard T.H.
Bernstein said cities tend to build hospitals"in the image of Fort Knox" to prepare for hurricanes by stockpiling supplies and erecting sea walls and submarine doors. But such safeguards aren't as useful if roads are closed, he said: “You can build Fort Knox, but if you can’t get there, what good is it?”
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