In the wake of a burst pipe incident, Duke University Hospital in Durham, N.C., has reopened some emergency department beds and shared plans to restore the waiting room and triage area by weekend's end, according to a Dec. 28 update from the hospital. However, the ED remains on diversion for ambulance traffic after the pipe burst late Dec. 26, flooding the ED and other areas on the first floor.
A chilled water pipe used to supply heating and cooling to the building burst around midnight Dec. 26. Since then, Duke has been directing incoming ambulance patients to other hospitals in the area. Patients who arrive by their own means are being treated in unaffected areas throughout the hospital, including a mobile treatment area stationed outside the ED.
"We are grateful for our EMS partners and other local healthcare facilities who have helped ensure that our community has access to urgent medical care," Duke Health said in a news release.
Duke was one of three hospitals on the East Coast to experience water-related disruptions Dec. 26. The incidents — which also occurred at hospitals in New York and Pennsylvania — are unrelated but similarly impacted operations, requiring patient transfers and rescheduled appointments.