Friday, September 02, 2005

bad state of hospital

Who knows how accurate they are about things going on outside the hospital, but this e-mail from two people associated with Methodist Hospital in New Orleans could be expected to be accurate on conditions inside, several hours ago:


Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2005 8:55:55 -0400

Contrary to what has been reported on the news, Methodist Hospital, including Albert and Maxine Barrocas have not been evacuated, and the details are grisly. FEMA has been intercepting supplies sent to the hospital, and patient and staff evacuations have essentially ceased.

If anyone can help bring attention to this problem, please help us. Below are some facts related to us by the staff at the hospital during one of the few occasions we have been able to talk to them.

600 People in hospital
13 patients on gurneys
Staff is dehydrating
FEMA is DIVERTING support being sent in by UHS (owners of hospital) away from the hospital
Temperature 110 degrees with humidity
NO fuel left to operate the hospital tower
NO communication with National Guard to coordinate evacuation of patients
Having to feed 500+ non-patient refugees - they are very close to rioting for the balance of food water and supplies
NO power, NO communication
Everything is manual - no xray - running out of supplies
Patients are on the 2nd floor and 3rd floor - having to carry patients up the stairs and the helicopters don't come back
Without power, the ventilator dependant patients are being manually bagged in 1 hour shifts by staff
Refusing to take gurney patients
FEMA is commandeering all supplies and all private efforts to get supplies including fuel, food, water
Governor is misrepresenting what is going on
Snakes in hospital
Rashes on staff from water
Losing nurses as a result of dehydration
Need FEMA to land on roof and prove what they are saying is correct
No security - uprising for food, water and supplies
Governor did not allow for the evacuation of the hospitals and now won't help
Uprising of refugees


Natalie Barrocas Cohen and Michael Cohen


-------------------UPDATE from another health writer:
"Turns out that this e-mail WAS completely true as of 9 am EST this morning. But in the last 1.5 hours, help has arrived. "

1 comment:

J.Po said...

The first part is absolutely horrifying and, sadly, not all that surprising after everything I've heard over the last few days. The second part makes me feel a little better. But damn, the first part is absolutely unforgivable.