How are local hospitals faring as Ian makes its way toward our area?
Meanwhile, as the storm brought 155 mph winds to Southwest Florida and was poised to cause damage across the state, 15 hospitals and 131 nursing homes and assisted-living facilities evacuated patients and residents, according to Simone Marstiller, secretary of the state Agency for Health Care Administration.
About 350 hospital patients, 3,508 residents at 40 nursing homes and 3,012 residents at 91 assisted living facilities were evacuated, she said. Hospitals that"hunker down" and do not evacuate patients or shut down maintain sophisticated emergency-management plans and close communication with the state, said Justin Senior, CEO of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida.
"Every hospital is going to make sure that it has [electricity] generating capacity, fuel for the generators, food and water and is communicating with the state about what is functioning, what is not functioning and what its needs are," Senior said.Here is a roundup of Jacksonville hospitals' status late Wednesday afternoon, according to hospital representatives:
• Ascension St. Vincent’s medical group offices, which are doctor's offices, primary care, urgent care and specialty care clinics that are affiliated with the hospital, are closed Thursday through Friday. All Ascension St. Vincent’s hospitals remain open. • Baptist Health-affiliated physicians and specialty offices are closed Thursday. Also, at 6 a.m.