Due to flooding caused by Tropical Storm Harvey, Ben Taub Hospital in Houston is evacuating patients, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land (Texas) Hospital is shutting down and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has cancelled all appointments through at least Tuesday at its main campus in Houston and several satellite facilities.
Although all appointments, outpatient services and surgeries are cancelled until Wednesday, MD Anderson has not been evacuated. Administrators told STAT continuous care is being provided to patients at the hospital.
"Things are definitely calm and under control here," Andrew Rhim, MD, an assistant professor of gastroenterology, told STAT. Dr. Rhim, who was working Monday at MD Anderson, said no patient care areas have been affected by the flooding.
Flooding has forced other hospitals to evacuate. Water and sewage flooded Ben Taub's basement over the weekend, and rising waters threatened the hospital's food supply. The hospital originally planned to evacuate all 350 patients, but now plans to transfer about 60 complex and critical care patients, according to the Houston Chronicle. The Catastrophic Medical Operations Center notified Ben Taub officials Monday that hospitals have been found for all patients Ben Taub wants to transfer.
Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital has temporarily closed, as the nearby Brazos River poses a severe flooding threat. All patients will be transferred to Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital in Houston. Memorial Hermann Orthopedic & Spine Hospital in Bellaire, Texas, Memorial Hermann First Colony Hospital in Sugar Land and three Memorial Hermann convenient care centers are also temporarily shut down.
More articles on patient flow:
Holy Cross Hospital to close 34-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit
Minnesota lawmakers craft legislation in response to Mayo's consolidation plans
Electronic documentation hinders ED efficiency, study finds