BATON ROUGE, La., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Urgent Message: With another category five hurricane threatening the Louisiana Gulf Coast, LSU Health Care Services CEO Donald Smithburg has ordered all Hospital personnel and patients evacuated from Moss Regional Medical Center in Lake Charles and University Medical Center in Lafayette. Plans have been made for a similar evacuation from Chabert Regional Medical Center in Houma in the event such is necessary. All three facilities are smaller than the already-evacuated Charity Hospital and are located in a coastal area of the state, near the projected path of Hurricane Rita. Moss Regional will be evacuating 10 patients and University Medical Center will be evacuating 50 patients, including 5 babies. The remaining 150 patients at those hospitals were discharged to their families.
“It is most important for LSU to ensure the continuing health of our patients and the safety of our employees,” said Smithburg. “We have discharged a number of patients who were in a condition to leave and have canceled all elective surgery scheduled for Friday, September 23. We are evacuating or preparing to evacuate the remaining patients and workers. It is our responsibility as health care providers to save as many lives as possible.”
Smithburg made his decision Thursday morning after learning of the hurricane’s now-anticipated landfall near the Louisiana-Texas border. Dr. Pat Robertson, Administrator of Moss Regional Medical Center, said, “The people at Moss Regional, as well as those currently in Lake Charles, are in potential danger,” he said, adding, “If they have not already left or are not prepared to leave very quickly, their lives could be in jeopardy. I can’t let that happen.”
LSU is currently transporting a number of patients and workers out of harm’s way. Beds have been secured for most evacuees at LSU’s Huey P. Long Hospital in Alexandria. Huey P. Long Hospital is rated for 120 mph winds and stocked with a week’s worth of food and water. LSU plans to reopen all facilities on Tuesday to assess any damage and plan for the future. Hospital personnel are monitoring the situation closely from the State Office of Emergency Preparedness headquarters in Baton Rouge and will keep the public informed.
The LSU Health Care Services Division hospital and clinic system is the largest provider of health care in Louisiana, with more than 1.2 million patient visits annually to 350 outpatient clinics, and 46,000 admissions to nine hospitals.
LSU Health Sciences Center
CONTACT: Marvin McGraw of LSU Health Sciences Center, +1-225-922-1424