Memorial Hospital and Manor received an email Thursday morning from Georgia Hospital Association-911, a network of Georgia hospitals that responds to medical emergencies throughout the state.

One hundred and eighty-three patients at the Southeast Georgia Health System campus in Brunswick were being evacuated ahead of the incoming storm from Hurricane Matthew this weekend, and Memorial Hospital and Manor was asked to receive five of them.

“We got an email and immediately had a conference call at 11 a.m. (Thursday) morning and talked through with the coordinator of this effort,” said Lori Eubanks. “It was a great collaboration, being able to help your neighboring hospitals in a crisis like this.”

The hospital was able to accommodate up to 15 patients, and were initially sent 11. However, due to certain needs and specialties, the other six were sent to neighbor hospitals. The five patients brought into Bainbridge are in stable condition, each with their own room.

“We had several meetings to make sure we could accommodate people and the process would occur without hiccups,” said Dean Burke, Medical Director at Memorial Hospital and Manor. “Everybody came together for a team-based approach, which I thought was very effective.”

Doctors have taken extra steps to treat the visiting patients, and others have volunteered their availability should it be needed. The administrative staff and nurses have also shown enthusiasm for any additional help needed, with the five patients or any other sick visitors from the influx of evacuees this weekend in Bainbridge.

“Usually during these times, that’s what you see,” Eubanks said. “Health care workers want to take care of patients and not see anybody in harm. We want to keep people safe. That’s the goal.”

Burke said patient safety always comes first, and hospitals across the coast were needing to make quick decisions on if the resources they had would sustain through a hurricane. Especially if the power were to stay off for too long, it could be dangerous.

“It’s not ideal to have patients in the hospital when your only power is generators,” Burke said. “They can’t run everything.”