Three Chatham County (Ga.) hospitals initially backpedaled on their long-term agreements to house vulnerable members of the community, and only Memorial University Medical Center eventually lived up to its commitments, according to an article on the Savannah Now website.
Emails obtained by the Savannah Morning News indicate suggested that Candler Hospital, which closed ahead of Irma’s arrival, accepted none of the evacuees it was assigned, and St. Joseph’s accepted only three last-minute cases.
Officials from the two-hospital St. Joseph system informed emergency managers of its decision less than 48 hours before the evacuation of the population was set to begin.
Memorial ultimately housed 18 “medical needs” evacuees, but did so after urging from the Chatham Emergency Management Agency.
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