Hurricane Ike's Aftermath No Match For St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital's Emergency Department

Main Category: Aid / Disasters
Article Date: 22 Sep 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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In the wake of Hurricane Ike's devastation and destruction, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital's Emergency Department has handled a dramatic increase in patients with hurricane-related injuries and stress. The day after Ike, a record 151 patients came through St. Luke's emergency room's doors, almost doubling the daily average (84) from the month before. Every day since then, the number of patients has remained more than 50% above average.

"We've never seen this many patients - ever. But people don't have power. So they can't do the things they normally do to take care of themselves and they get a bit sicker than we usually see," said Sue Freeborg, nurse manager, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital Emergency Department. "We are proud to say that our staff has accommodated to this situation by working extra shifts and longer hours. Everyone in the ED did what they had to do to take care of all our patients."

An average of 6.1 patients per hour came to the ED during their 24 hours of operation on Sunday, September 14, up from the August average of 3.1. This increased volume called for more nurses, doctors and staff to handle the influx of patients. The increased staff helped prevent a corresponding increase in wait times for patients despite the increased volume. The number of critically ill patients also increased, with more admitted to the ICU than usual.

"Our Emergency Services nurses really show their dedication and compassion in stressful times like this," said Karen Myers, MSN, RN, CNAA chief nursing officer and vice president, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. "They are in their element, even when they are confronted with MASH-like conditions or double the number of patients."

St. Luke's Episcopal Health System includes St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, founded in 1954 by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas; St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital; St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities, a charity devoted to assessing and enhancing community health, especially among the underserved; and KS Management Services, LLC, overseeing 18 area clinic locations. St. Luke's Sugar Land Hospital is under construction, scheduled to open in October 2008, and St. Luke's Clear Lake Hospital is scheduled to open in 2010. Plans are underway for St. Luke's Lakeside Hospital in The Woodlands. St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital is home to the Texas Heart® Institute, which was founded in 1962 by Denton A. Cooley, MD, and is consistently ranked nationally among the top 10 cardiology and heart surgery centers in the nation by U.S.News & World Report. Affiliated with several nursing schools and two medical schools, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital was the first hospital in Texas named a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, and twice has been honored with the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ by HealthGrades, a leading independent company that measures healthcare quality in hospitals. The Health System has been recognized by FORTUNE as among the "100 Best Companies to Work For" and by the Houston Business Journal as a top employer in Houston. St. Luke's Episcopal Health System also was honored as one of Modern Healthcare magazine's "100 Best Places to Work."

St. Luke's Episcopal Health System