After the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in late August, Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has 'fully recovered' from the record flooding that hit the city, and the Medical Director of the storied cancer hospital says she learned a lot from the experience, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Dr. Karen Lu, Chief Medical Officer at M.D. Anderson, told News Radio 1200 WOAI in a phone interview that the key to thriving during a natural disaster is to take care of everybody, and make sure all employees and team members know support is available.
"Its not just the doctors and the nurses, its our dining services, its our critical labs, its our housekeeping, everyone is part of the team," she said.
Dr. Lu says there were 540 patients and some 300 relatives of patients in the hospital at the height of Hurricane Harvey's rains, so closing the hospital or even moving the patients to another hospital was never part of the equation.
On top of that, it was important to reassure the relatives and the patients, that care would continue on the same level they expected at the hospital.
"We had on site child care because schools were closed, we had transportation for our employees, we had FEMA on site so they could talk to our employees," She said.
Dr. Lu says the confidence that all of her employees had that they would be treated well during the disaster led to a felling of mutual support that benefitted the patients as well as the staff, which at M.D. Anderson is nearly 1,000 people.
She credits the University of Texas System for allowing law enforcement officers from U.T. Health San Antonio to join her team to perform key duties, and thanks those officers for marching into the storm.
Teams from all areas of the institution, medical care teams, housekeeping, facilities, dining services, security and so many others, coordinated efforts to deliver safe, uality care despite essentially being on an island surrounded by flood waters," she said.
Dr. Lu also has some suggestions for all people who find themselves in the middle of a national disaster. They include:
Keep your hands clean, wash them frequently with water and soap.
Clean and Cover Wounds.
Limit exposure to mold and water-damaged spaces.
Get a flu vaccination.
Prevent mosquito bites.