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| Vol. 23, No. 14 |
| August 1, 2001 |
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Memorial Hermann Hospital and Children's Hospital Reopen By BETH SARTORI Memorial Hermann Healthcare System Memorial Hermann Hospital and Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital reopened July 17 for the first time since flooding brought on by Tropical Storm Allison forced the two Texas Medical Center institutions to close their doors June 10. Yellow ribbons were placed on hospital grounds to welcome employees, physicians and volunteers back to the facilities.
The hospitals will phase in services over the next few weeks. Services available today include emergency and Level I trauma services, elective surgery, women's services and Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital services, as well as outpatient facilities. Hospital administrators encourage patients with minor illnesses and injuries to seek treatment first from their primary care physicians.
Services previously provided in areas affected by floodwaters have been relocated to other sections of the hospitals. Reconstruction of flooded areas will require additional time. The flood marked the first time Memorial Hermann closed its doors since opening in 1925.
Memorial Hermann Flood Related Q & A:
Q: Which services were affected by the floodwaters that were relocated to other sections of the hospital? A: Cardiac catheterization laboratory, pharmacy, pathology laboratory, Gamma Knife and support services (housekeeping, biomedical engineering) were all relocated.
Q: When do you expect to be fully operational? A: Hospital administrators plan for the hospitals to be fully operating within three weeks.
Q: What are the phases of reopening? A: Phase one, which began July 17, provided emergency and trauma services, elective surgery, women's services and Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital services. Phase two, which began July 23, increased the number and availability of beds in specialty areas. Phase three, beginning Aug. 7, brings back transplant services and the John S. Dunn Sr. Burn Center.
Q: Which services are still unavailable at MH Hospital and MH Children's Hospital? A: Most services are available now. Transplant services will resume Aug. 7, and Gamma Knife radiosurgery services are expected to resume sometime later this fall.
Q: What types of delays should patients expect at the hospital due to the continued reconstruction of the flooded areas? A: No service delays due to operations are anticipated; patients scheduling elective surgery through their physicians may experience delays due to volume and availability.
Q: Are all staff back in service at each hospital at this point, or will that happen in a phase approach as well?. A: Memorial Hermann Hospital/Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital employees providing patient care at other locations are being phased back into Memorial Hermann's Texas Medical Center hospitals according to need based on the volume of patients.
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