Boston hospitals prepared for the season’s first snowstorm by opening rooms so staff can stay overnight and discharging patients early, according to an article on the Boston Globe website.
Boston Emergency Medical Services added four vehicles to the roads equipped with “medical sleds” that can carry stretchers and extra supplies.
Tufts Medical Center had 60 private rooms for employees who need them, and partnered with three local hotels offering discounted rates.
Doctors were expecting weather-related health issues: hypothermia, frostbite and shoveling injuries. Carbon monoxide poisoning is also expected, given both the high winds — leading to increased generator use — and heavy snowfall covering car exhaust pipes.