Plan urged for hospital, nursing home evacuations

• By MARSHA SHULER
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Sep 30, 2008 - Page: 1A - UPDATED: 12:30 a.m.

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Glitches in evacuating thousands of people from nursing homes and hospitals remained a headache during Hurricane Gustav.

Although better than three years ago when Hurricane Katrina struck, Louisiana health-care leaders said there’s still room for improvement.

While communications systems have improved greatly, local hospital executives said they will work on their ability to contact physicians and staff when computers, phones and other devices are inoperable.

Transportation and communications problems were rampant with Hurricane Katrina three years ago from the federal to the state and local levels.

“The federal response still needs to be better,” Louisiana Hospital Association president John Matessino said.

Between 500 and 600 hospital and home-based medical patients were sent out of state for Hurricane Gustav, state health officials said.

“Things did not work well getting some of the planes and assets to evacuate people in a timely manner,” Matessino said.

“Planes did not show up on time. The same thing happened this time (as during Katrina): wrong planes, planes came with no staffing.”

When out-of-state ambulances were not available before hurricane landfall, state Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine said helicopters were used to move patients more quickly. He said the helicopters were not part of the original plan.

Another 8,200 people from 92 nursing homes were moved from hurricane-vulnerable areas, Levine said.

Ambulance service was a “little sketchy” at first in nursing home evacuations, because many of the ambulances brought in to help were held in place and not released for service, Louisiana Nursing Home Association executive Joe Donchess said.

“That caused a little bit of anxiety,” he said.

There was a 12- to 24-hour delay sometimes with ambulances waiting for instructions on where to go to pick up patients, Donchess said.