Tampa-area hospitals are facing the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, with some imaging services being temporarily suspended as healthcare systems reallocate resources toward emergency care.
Milton made landfall on the western Florida coast on the night of October 9 as a Category 3 hurricane, bringing with it heavy rains, flooding, high winds, and tornadoes. Reports suggest that at least 10 deaths caused by the storm have been confirmed, as well as over 3 million power outages.
As Florida reels from the destruction, hospitals’ operations have been affected at varying levels as healthcare systems implement disaster mitigation strategies and protocols.
Tampa General Hospital in a statement to AuntMinnie.com said that the hospital remains open and that it is actively working with emergency responders to treat injuries and other health emergencies. The hospital performs more than 400,000 imaging exams per year, according to Tampa General’s website. Imaging services include MRI, ultrasound, x-ray, mammography, CT, and PET/CT exams, as well as image-guided biopsies and fluoroscopy testing.
Tony Venezia, senior director of public safety at the hospital, said that Tampa General’s storm mitigation efforts proved effective against Hurricane Milton.
“While the storm surge was not as high as forecasted in Tampa Bay, the AquaFence stood strong against the hurricane-force winds and prevented flooding,” Venezia stated. “We proactively activated our onsite power plant, which is located 33 feet above sea level, to ensure there were no interruptions to operations.”
The AquaFence is a barrier impermeable to water that can withstand storm surges up to 15 feet above sea level. The hospital’s mitigation plan also included 5,000 gallons of water being moved onsite to suit supply water needs.
“We are grateful to our exceptional physicians and team members who worked diligently through the night to continue caring for our patients and our community,” Venezia said.
Meanwhile, BayCare, a hospital system in the Tampa area, stated on its website that with the exception of the Morton Plant North Bay Hospital, all hospitals in the system remain open. However, elective procedures for nonurgent procedures, including outpatient imaging, were canceled for October 9 and 10.
BayCare is also offering one free telehealth visit for anyone using the BayCareAnywhere mobile app from October 9 to 11.
HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital, meanwhile, has temporarily suspended non-emergency services to allocate caregivers, medical supplies, generator power, and other services toward emergency care.
The hospital’s parent company, HCA Healthcare, has activated its Enterprise Emergency Operations Center in Nashville, Tenn. This includes a multidisciplinary incident response team of nearly 200 leaders to support HCA Healthcare’s hospitals in the hurricane’s path.
Milton’s destruction may exacerbate the ongoing shortage of IV products such as saline bags due to the shutdown of a Baxter International plant in Marion, NC, caused by Hurricane Helene, which made its way through the southeastern U.S. in late September.
While radiology may not be as impacted as other medical specialties, the ACR provided guidance on the use of IV products in imaging. These include reducing test flush and patency flush to 20 ml, reducing or eliminating saline chasers used in CT, and reducing chasers for MR imaging to 10 ml if possible.
