HEALTH

Hospitals, nursing homes activate early stages of their hurricane plans as Irma advances

Naples

Southwest Florida hospitals are in the early stages of hurricane preparations by ordering extra supplies, but there are no immediate changes to normal operations.

The NCH Healthcare System in Collier County conducted business as usual Tuesday, and a meeting of hospital directors is planned for Wednesday to evaluate the next step, NCH spokeswoman Debbie Curry said.

“NCH is ordering supplies and food according to the hurricane plan,” she said. “We are increasing communication, and we are following the developments as they occur.”

More:Hurricane Irma: Gov. Rick Scott urges Florida residents to 'prepare for the worst'

In previous years with hurricanes approaching, hospitals often canceled elective surgeries and discharged patients who no longer needed hospital care, but none of those steps are in place yet, she said. NCH operates the Downtown Baker and North Naples hospitals with a combined 716 beds.

Physicians Regional Healthcare System, with campuses at Pine Ridge Road and Collier Boulevard with a combined 201 beds, has not canceled any elective surgeries, nor have the hospitals begun discharging patients who no longer need to be hospitalized, Physicians Regional spokesman Marti Van Veen said.

“We are closely monitoring the storm and will cancel elective surgeries and other procedures as we are more certain of the path of the storm.”

In this geocolor image captured by GOES-16 and released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hurricane Irma, a potentially catastrophic Category 5 hurricane, moves westward, Tuesday morning, Sept. 5, 2017, in the Atlantic Ocean toward the Leeward Islands. This image was captured as daylight moves into the area, right, with nighttime features on the left side of the image. Hurricane Irma grew into a dangerous Category 5 storm, the most powerful seen in the Atlantic in over a decade, and roared toward islands in the northeast Caribbean on Tuesday on a path that could eventually take it to the United States.

The Pine Ridge hospital can withstand a Category 3 hurricane, and the Collier Boulevard campus is rated to withstand a Category 5 storm. The hospitals do not serve as evacuation centers, she said.

If need be, employees will be able to arrive on campus before the storm hits so they can be on site for their shifts, she said. Additional staff will be added to schedules.

“Both campuses have generators that will provide 96 hours of power, should that be necessary,” Van Veen said.

Senior living communities with assisted living facilities and nursing homes also began early preparations, aiming to shelter in place but following what orders may come from county emergency managers.

More:Collier schools to close as residents urged to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Irma

“As of right now, we are planning to remain in the facility,” said Jennifer Iavarone, administrator at Lakeside Pavilion. The nursing home is at 2900 12th Ave. N. in Naples and has 112 residents out of a capacity of 120.

“We already have a seven-day supply of food and water, and we are ordering additional supplies,” she said.

If the county orders Lakeside to evacuate, the center will use its transfer agreements with other nursing homes owned by Genesis HealthCare around the state, she said.

Iavarone, who has been with Lakeside through Hurricane Charley in 2004 and Hurricane Wilma in 2005, said Lakeside did not evacuate before those storms and extra staff were put on duty. That’s the plan for Irma.

Directors at Vi at Bentley Village, a continuing care retirement community in North Naples, is preparing. The community has 800 residents, including residents in assisted living and nursing homes.

“We have a comprehensive emergency preparedness (and) evacuation plan and are closely monitoring the hurricane,” Penny Smith, executive director, said in a statement. “Ensuring the safety of our residents and employees is our top priority; therefore that is where we have placed our focus right now.”

More:Sheriff Rambosk: 'Do not wait' to leave before Hurricane Irma

The NCH Community Blood Center put out a call for blood donors to come to the blood center to donate in anticipation of a shortage of blood and platelets.

“Post storm blood product collections could possibly be disrupted (due) to the impaired donor mobility from storm damage,” said Laura Rosen, with the blood center, in a news release. “Therefore, an immediate response from blood donors now is vital to helping ensure that hospitals will have what they need to benefit their patients.”

The blood center website is www.givebloodcbc.org for any change in hours of operation. The blood center is at 311 Ninth St. N., Suite 201, next to the NCH Baker Downtown Hospital.

The Orlando-based OneBlood, a nonprofit blood center that serves Physicians Regional and with donation sites in Fort Myers, also is asking its donor base to step forward to help beef up blood supplies. Visit the website www.oneblood.org for locations in Lee County to donate.

“Hurricanes can disrupt the blood supply for several days,” OneBlood spokesman Pat Michaels said. “This scenario unfolded in Texas after Hurricane Harvey devastated the area last week. This week OneBlood has been called upon to assist the blood center in Puerto Rico and has already sent 100 units of blood to the island as they prepare for Irma’s arrival.”

Collier County’s bureau of emergency management, along with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, has developed a registry to allow residents with special needs to register with their local emergency management agency to receive assistance during a disaster. To register, visit the website https://snr.floridadisaster.org.