By Friday afternoon, HCA Inc. began evacuating the 40 remaining patients from its East Houston Regional Medical Center, one of 10 facilities the for-profit hospital chain owns in the area, amid concerns about dangerous flooding as Hurricane Ike ap proached.
But three other hospitals owned by Nashville-based HCA close to the coast near Houston remained open only for emergency patients but were far below their bed capacity, HCA spokesman Ed Fishbough said.
Earlier in the week, some of the most ill patients were moved from those hospitals to other HCA hospitals in the region, and others ready for discharge were let go. But the hospitals took in patients from others in the region that closed, and officials began bunkering down ahead of the storm, Fishbough said.
Supplies such as linens, food and water were stocked. Backup generators and extra fuel were brought in. And contractors with plywood and clean-up crews were stationed in areas nearby, ready to move in if needed afterwards.
"We're just ready to ride out the storm," said Mary Ann Hellinghausen, marketing di rector at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center in the Houston suburb of Webster.
The hospital was operating at roughly a quarter of its bed capacity. "We're just hoping that the water doesn't rise too high," Hellinghausen added. "We've got a five-story new heart hospital here, and our main hospital is six stories, so we're not too worried about rising water. We're in pretty good shape."
'Prepared and stocked'HCA's Bayshore Medical Center in nearby Pasadena took in some of the patients from East Houston, said Consuelo Esnaola, a spokeswoman. "At this time, we don't know what exactly is going to happen, but we're prepared and stocked."
Fishbough said that Mainland Medical Center in Texas City hadn't been evacuated because it is on the mainland in Galveston County, not on the island of Galveston that was wiped out in the deadliest storm in U.S. history in 1900 that killed 6,000 people.
"You have to do what's best for patients," he said.
"Evacuating a hospital is no small feat, and moving patients around and closing a vital community resource is something you only do if you absolutely have to. We're providing our hospitals substantial resources and support, and we're confident they are well-prepared."
Lessons from HCA's experiences during Hurricane Katrina and other storms helped in preparation for the current storm, Fishbough said.
Other hospitals that closed in the Houston region include Christus St. John Hospital in Nassau Bay near Clear Lake, which is owned by a Catholic nonprofit ministry, and the University of Texas medical branch at Galveston, on the island.
Besides taking care of patients at the hospitals, HCA has other employees prepared to go in after the storm and relieve doctors, nurses and others working at company-owned facilities, Fishbough said.
Overall, the hospital chain has 10 hospitals in the Houston area.
Investor Report: Rare Tax Law and Opportunity for Profit
Pet hospital chain wants a piece of $43B industry
In medical office market, tenants are able to call shots
