How hospitals prepared, responded to weekend winter storms

A dangerous winter storm hit at least 35 states over the weekend, leaving people with icy roads and some without power.

Hospitals were not immune to this impact. Houston, Texas-based Harris Health closed outpatient clinics through Monday, while providers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, prepared beds onsite for staff to sleep during the storm. Kansas City, Missouri-based clinicians also voiced concern about the potential for an increase in patient injuries related to the storm.

We reached out to some hospitals around the country to see how the storm impacted their operations.

Ezz-Eldin Moukamal, chief quality officer at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Allegheny Health Network

Our [14] hospitals remained fully operational, our emergency departments were fully staffed, and we had no issues getting emergency vehicles in and out of our facilities.

In anticipation that the storm would make travel to and from work difficult, we prepared some empty inpatient beds, short-stay units, and pre-op holding areas to accommodate healthcare workers who needed to sleep overnight. We also utilized our call rooms, which are already intended for this purpose, and we provided meals for those staying overnight.

We did not see an influx of patients to our emergency departments during the storm itself. But typically, there is a lag on those sorts of visits. Systemwide, we delayed the opening of several of our outpatient clinics Monday morning, and converted some in-person visits to virtual visits. But patients did not experience widespread disruptions.

Kim Alexander, spokesperson at Memphis, Tennessee-based Baptist Memorial Hospital

All [24] Baptist Memorial hospitals remain open and ready to provide care during the winter storm we’ve been experiencing.

In response to recent weather forecasts, we began implementing our inclement weather plans, including preparing our staff, purchasing supplies, shoring up gaps, and communicating with relevant vendors. All our hospitals have power, and we continue to work with our staff in some areas to ensure safe arrivals to work.

Rachel Friedman Packer, spokesperson at NewYork-Presbyterian

Thanks to the careful pre-planning and continued dedication of our teams, all our [20] hospitals and emergency rooms remained open and continued to provide high-quality care during the storm. Our operations continue to run smoothly. Generally, we saw fewer patients arrive in our emergency departments, which is typical during winter storms.