Memorial Hospital worked hard throughout Hurricane Michael.  When the building lost power, the back-up generators kicked into service delivering power to select emergency outlets. For instance there was no air conditioning.

As expected, the Emergency Department was stretched thin and busy. Many of the nurses and other medical staff members who had come on duty Wednesday morning were still on duty Thursday morning, having worked through the day and night doing what they do best—caring for the sick and injured.

Hospital administrative personnel were also on hand, making sure things were progressing and providing whatever aide they could.

CEO Jim Lambert said the hospital was back on full power Thursday night at 9 p.m.

He provided numbers of patients treated from Wednesday through Sunday. The ED saw 290 patients, 27 on Wed., 63 on Thurs., 77 on Fri. and Saturday there were 59. There were two births over the weekend and one operation performed in the surgical unit. However, many physicians, such as Dr. Charles Walker, worked many hours helping in the ED.

Lambert praised his team saying, “I think our team did a good job of reacting to the situation. We didn’t expect how bad it would be, but everyone worked together facing some situations they had never experienced before.” He said the patients and workers on the second floor got hot without any air conditioning, but he said the patients were understanding of the situation. “I am proud of my team. They worked long hours and everyone did a good job,”

On Thursday morning when people began to move around, there was a steady stream of people coming to the hospital looking for food and water and a place to charge their cell phones. Unfortunately, the main power system was not yet in operation. But even as late as Saturday evening, there were people at the emergency department waiting in the lobby while their phones charged.

Lambert stated that situations such as this definitely bring people in the community together to help one another. He was happy the hospital could serve.