This week, states along the East Coast were hit by Hurricane Sandy, causing thousands to lose electricity for days. Several of these places included hospitals in New York and New Jersey, which were forced to evacuate patients due to power outage. While some were fully functioning within a few days, others are still struggling to return to normal. Here’s some helpful information regarding where to go for treatments, including deliveries and emergencies.
New York
On Monday evening New York University Langone Medical Center evacuated over 200 patients, including 20 NICU patients. All patients were transferred to nearby hospitals and their family members were informed. As of noon today, the hospital is still closed due to damage and will stay closed until Monday, November 5. Patients with previously scheduled appointments have been contacted and will receive care at nearby facilities. To confirm or cancel appointments, or for any questions regarding patient care, call 888-724-1830 or visit the hospital’s website.
Hurricane Sandy also hit Bellevue Hospital on Monday night, causing the generators to break. The staff was able to provide a temporary fix to the issue, but after witnessing the damage in the basement they realized an evacuation was necessary. The process began Wednesday night, making sure those in the worst conditions were moved first. By Thursday morning, all patients had been moved to nearby hospitals including Mount Sinai Medical Center. Bellevue will remain closed until further notice, but doctors will be working remotely from other hospitals. For more information, patients can call 212-562-5555.
In Brooklyn, Coney Island Hospital faced a power outage and was forced to evacuate patients. Patients were moved to other New York hospitals on Tuesday afternoon, and were all moved by 6:30 that night. As of noon today, Coney Island Hospital will be closed until further notice, and doctors will visit patients at their new locations. However, limited ambulance and outpatient services will start Monday, November 5.
New Jersey
On Sunday evening, Hoboken University Medical Center transferred over 80 patients in critical condition to nearby hospitals. The patients will be welcomed back once the damages have been fixed. However, the hospital’s emergency and OBGYN centers have remained open.
Evacuations also took place at Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, but has since returned to it’s normal operations. Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, Camden’s Cooper Hospital and Lourdes Hospital cut back on nonessential procedures, such as elective surgery and outpatient treatment during the storm. They have since returned to normal hours and operations.
Hospitals in other areas hit by Hurricane Sandy, including Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, remained fully functional during the week.
Do you have any hospital updates? Let us know below in the comments!
Navigate forward to interact with the calendar and select a date. Press the question mark key to get the keyboard shortcuts for changing dates.