USA Health adapts to ride out Sally

USA Health employees pulled together to weather Hurricane Sally last week, adapting quickly to schedule changes and making other adjustments to keep patients in the hospitals safe.

As the storm approached on Monday, USA Health announced schedule changes for outpatient clinics and postponed non-essential surgeries. Emergency departments remained open, adjusting staffing for providers so that they would not have to travel between the hospitals.

“I am very proud of the USA Health team and all that was done to weather the storm,” said Warren Greene, assistant administrator for USA Health.

Many hospital employees arrived at work earlier than their normal shift times on Tuesday and stayed overnight to ensure a smooth transition Wednesday morning, when dangerous winds and possible flooding were anticipated.

“When administration notified us of the threat of the hurricane hitting Mobile, I immediately started notifying my staff,” said Sharon Lewis, third-floor nurse manager at Children’s & Women’s Hospital. “I prepared them to follow the emergency preparedness plan, which meant they could be staying in the hospital longer than usual.”

At University Hospital, academic and administrative offices were used for temporary sleeping and resting quarters for emergency department staff who arrived early for work or were needed to stay late. The USA College of Medicine also offered the student call room space to be used by residents and fellows.

While overall patient volumes were down at the emergency departments, University Hospital received higher than usual trauma patient alerts in the 24-hour period after the hurricane made landfall.

Meanwhile, labor and delivery staff at Children’s & Women’s Hospital remained busy, delivering 16 newborns, including a set of twins, during the three-day storm period.

“A lot of employees came in early, and many stayed overnight Tuesday to make sure we had appropriate staffing,” said Leslie Carley, nurse manager in labor and delivery. “Some of our charge nurses were here during all three days. Our staff is very dedicated and willing to help.”

Environmental services employees worked alongside facilities staff to take care of water entering the building during the hurricane. “The staff showed tremendous tenacity staying on site even in the midst of uncertainty of the storm,” said Rosemary White, director of environmental services for USA Health.