Hospitals, health care facilities begin reopening after Hurricane Milton
Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on October 11, 2024
(TAMPA, Fla.) — Hospitals, emergency departments and health care facilities across Florida are reopening after they evacuated patients and canceled elective surgeries due to Hurricane Milton.
BayCare health care system said some of its ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, laboratories, urgent care facilities and medical group offices are opening on Friday, according to an update on its website.
Of its 13 hospitals, 12 are open with just one, Morton Plant North Bay Hospital, remaining closed. The hospital evacuated before the storm and is currently not accepting new patients, BayCare said.
Four emergency rooms under the HCA Florida Healthcare network in Julington Creek, Lake Tarpon, New Tampa and Riverview reopened Friday to care for patients, according to an alert posted on the network’s website.
Six of HCA Florida’s 18 hospitals reopened Thursday but at least five remain closed, having suspended services and, in some cases, having transferred patients to other hospitals.
Additionally, in the University of Florida Health’s (UF Health) latest tropical weather alert Thursday afternoon, a number of facilities — including hospitals, outpatient clinical facilities and physician practices — reopened or removed their modified hours on Thursday and Friday including in Archer, Gainesville, Jacksonville, St. Augustine and The Villages.
Tampa General Hospital (TGH) said in a press release that two of its emergency centers reopened Thursday evening and the main hospital resumed normal operations on Friday.
The hospital said its physicians and emergency management team members remained onsite throughout the storm and the emergency room in its main campus was able to remain open thanks to a hurricane preparedness plan that was activated.
“Preparing for Hurricane Milton was an incredible effort by the entire team and a true test of our resources, but it ensured we could continue to provide exceptional care for our patients in a high-quality, safe and uninterrupted environment before, during and after the storm,” John Couris, president and CEO of TGH, said in a statement.
“Tampa General is open to support communities impacted and particularly our first responders. Working together, we will come back from Milton stronger than ever,” the statement continued.
TGH said it faced no major power outages during Hurricane Milton and its AquaFence, a water-impermeable barrier, protected the hospital from winds and flooding. The hospital has previously said the AquaFence can withstand storm surges of up to 15 feet above sea level.
There are still hospitals that remain temporarily closed. In a post on the social platform X, the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, in Tampa, said the hospital and all outpatient clinics will be closed for in-person appointments between Friday, Oct. 11, and Monday, Oct. 14 “except for time-sensitive clinical services due to anticipated impacts from Hurricane Milton.”
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