Author: DEVNA BOSE and DEVI SHASTRI
Hospitals and other medical facilities along Florida's Gulf Coast are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Helene and are now gearing up to respond to Hurricane Milton.
The system, which will be one of the most powerful to hit the region in years, is expected to make landfall near the Tampa area late Wednesday. Long-term care facilities in counties that have issued mandatory evacuation orders are moving patients elsewhere, while hospitals are largely on alert, preparing to stay open during the storm.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 10 hospitals had reported evacuations, according to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' website. Kim Smoak, deputy secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, said that as of this morning, 300 medical facilities had been evacuated, the most in memory of workers there. That number includes 63 nursing homes and 169 assisted living facilities.
Steve McCoy, director of the Florida Department of Health's Bureau of Emergency Medical Oversight, said this was the state's “largest-ever evacuation.”
Health officials are using nearly 600 vehicles to move patients out of the storm's path and tracking them with blue wristbands that show where they were evacuated and where they will be taken. They plan to continue transporting patients out throughout the night until winds continue to reach 40 mph and driving conditions become unsafe.
“I've lived on the Gulf Coast my whole life and in Sarasota for 20 years. I've never seen anything like this,” said David Verinder, CEO of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. “We are very anxious, but we are prepared as best we can.”
Hospitals prepare for hurricane
Tampa General Hospital has more than five days' worth of supplies, including food, linens and 5,000 gallons of water, in addition to an on-site well. In the event of a power outage, the hospital also has a power plant with generators and boilers located 33 feet above sea level.
Two weeks ago, Tampa General successfully prevented storm surge flooding by deploying “water booms” during Hurricane Helene. When Milton makes landfall, the barrier will be raised again to withstand a 15-foot storm surge. The National Hurricane Center estimated that Milton's swells would be 10 to 15 feet high at peak.
No one will be working on the first floor of Tampa General Hospital for the foreseeable future — just in case.
“While AquaFence has proven effective in the past, it is only the first line of defense and the one we are implementing this week to safely continue to care for patients,” said Jennifer Crabtree, Tampa General Hospital's chief of staff. one of many mitigation measures.
The Tampa health system has closed many urgent care and imaging locations, but its four hospital campuses are preparing to stay open during the storm.
HCA Florida Healthcare, one of the largest health care networks in the state, has evacuated patients from five hospitals to sister facilities. HCA Florida hospitals closing include Pasadena Hospital in St. Petersburg, Lago West Hospital in Largo, Florida Englewood Hospital in Englewood, West Tampa Hospital in Tampa and Fawcett Hospital in Port Charlotte in 2022 During Hurricane Ian, strong winds and flooding caused significant damage to these hospitals.
AdventHealth North Pinellas evacuated 40 patients Tuesday afternoon, transferring them to hospitals in nearby health systems. The hospital's emergency room remains open. Randy Haffner, CEO and president of AdventHealth Florida, said in an emailed statement that the system “is fully prepared, including water, generators, sandbags, satellite phones and the best… Nursing staff.
Nearby hospitals are closing, but Sarasota Memorial Health Care System also plans to stay open and shelter in place during the storm, Verinder said. Still, “we're concerned about a lot of unknowns,” he said.
Verinder estimated that the system, which is stocked with at least seven days' worth of food, water, linens and medicine as well as 200,000 gallons of fuel, is expected to shelter and support more than 4,000 people during the hurricane, although they are already near capacity.
Sarasota Memorial is offering child care and pet shelters on both of its campuses as more than 2,500 staff members prepare to spend multiple nights at the hospital starting Tuesday.
“We are not a designated medical shelter, but we are working with the county to care for medically dependent individuals who are assigned to the hospital due to critical need… as well as patients who have been evacuated from other hospitals in the area,” he said.
Dr. Matt Shannon, director of community emergency medicine at University of Florida Health, said the state's flagship hospital is ready to receive patients.
“The emergency room… we never close,” he said. “We have five emergency departments, all open and operating normally. This is not our first rodeo – we've been through it many times before.
Mary Mayhew, president and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, said recurring hurricane seasons have hardened Florida's facilities and prepared them for Milton. Still, Hurricane Milton's powerful force and the continuity of the storm will affect “large swaths of the state and hospitals.”
“This increases the area's vulnerability, from flooding to clogged drains to debris that has not yet been cleared, potentially exacerbating a situation already predicted to be catastrophic,” Mayhew said. “Regional hospitals typically prepare for the worst , and hope for the best.”
Long-term care facility evacuation
In a briefing Tuesday, state officials and long-term care industry representatives urged nursing homes and assisted living facilities to prepare for prolonged power outages, damaged sewer systems and the loss of access to electronic health records.
“We want to remind you that all emergencies are local,” said Emmett Reed, CEO of the Florida Healthcare Association, which represents the state's nursing home and assisted living providers. “You need to start reporting any issues you may have with your local emergency office.”
Kristen Knapp, a spokesperson for the Florida Healthcare Association, said Florida's west coast, which includes Pinellas, Manatee and Hillsborough counties, has the highest concentration of nursing homes in the state.
“According to reports, at least 5,000-6,000 nursing home residents have been evacuated,” Knapp said in an email.
In counties under a state of emergency, nursing homes and assisted living facilities must have enough emergency generator fuel to power life-saving equipment and maintain indoor temperatures at safe levels for 96 hours.
Deborah Franklin, a member of the Florida Healthcare Association's emergency response team, said centers should print resident documents, including medications, dietary restrictions and more, even if they are not in the worst-hit areas of the hurricane. She also urged staff to consider the mental health of residents, some of whom are moving for the second time in just a few weeks.
“You have to provide trauma-informed care to these residents after the storm, and even during the storm,” Franklin said. “They may be worried about their families. They may be worried about whether they have a home to go back to.
Lillie Whiting, 67, said she has no plans to evacuate the assisted living facility where she lives just blocks from the bay in Clearwater. But if Magnolia Manor staff determines a resident needs to be relocated to another facility in town, she may have to pack her bags anyway.
“We might have to evacuate, but they were skeptical and said we'll see what happens,” Whiting said. “If we do that, they have another place we can go.”
The retired housekeeper took advantage of the sunny weather Tuesday afternoon to get some fresh air and the walker she uses to get around. As Hurricane Milton barrels toward the Gulf Coast, she's become more nervous, but she said she's confident the facility will care for her and other residents.
“It's a little scary,” she said. “But I kept praying.”
Concerns about home care
Most people with lung disease who rely on oxygen at home have backup oxygen bottles on hand, and some new devices even come with backup batteries, said UF Health's Shannon.
But he worries about seniors and people in rural areas.
“We see them in the emergency room when the backup fails or they can't use the generator,” Shannon said.
Dialysis facilities across the state are trying to offer shorter treatment times to as many patients as possible before storm closures.
“Helen, they were able to get back up and running very quickly. But if there was wind, it could be a different kind of event,” said Helen Ross of the Health Services Advisory Group, which is helping coordinate disaster response efforts for kidney patients. The network has established a telephone helpline and will maintain an updated list of open facilities during and after the storm.
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Associated Press reporter Kate Payne in Tampa at the Florida Capitol contributed to this report.
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