All patients evacuated from EKL

• By MARSHA SHULER
• Advocate Capitol news bureau
• Published: Sep 4, 2008 - UPDATED: 1:09 p.m.

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All patients have been removed from LSU’s Earl K. Long Medical Center because of a continuing problem with lack of electricity to the Airline Highway facility, LSU hospital systems acting chief Dr. Michael Butler said this morning.

“We transferred out the in-patients to various locations around the state. We are manning a scaled down emergency department on site to handle only minor urgent care,” said Butler.

Butler said several ambulances are stationed outside the hospital’s emergency room to transport patients who need admission to either Our Lady of Lake Regional Medical Center or Baton Rouge General Medical Center-Mid-City.

Power was restored on Wednesday but “some kind of a glitch in the switching station” did not allow the power to get to the hospital, Butler said.

Once power gets to the hospital, Butler said it will take 24 to 48 hours for the hospital to be back up in full operation.

Early Wednesday, EKL transferred 19 patients out – four in the neonatal unit who went to Woman’s Hospital and 15 in intensive care who were taken to other LSU hospitals. By this morning another 52 patients had been moved out to LSU hospitals in Lafayette, New Orleans and Shreveport.

Meanwhile, OLOL _ which has had power restored – is busting at the seams with a census of 492 patients, said OLOL spokeswoman Catherine Harrell.

“Our emergency room has been extremely busy,” said Harrell. She said some 360 patients were seen through the ER yesterday and a separate community Disaster Medical Assistance Team, called DMAT, saw 40 patients after it was activated outside the hospital’s ER last night. The DMAT unit is taking care of less seriously ill or injured patients, she said.

Harrell said the DMAT unit is expected to take on more patients that arrive seeking treatment throughout the day, relieving the emergency room of the heavier load.

Harrell said the hospital is trying to assess patients for possible discharge.

Meanwhile, state Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine said a second federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team may be deployed to Baton Rouge General -- Mid-City to help with an expected rush of residents who cannot reach their physicians.

Levine said that will be of particular importance with the closure of EKL and limited operations in its emergency room.

Harrell said the hospital emergency room has not seen an abundance of traumas or severe injuries. “That may change as people try to and do cleanup of roofs or trees.”