HHS declares public health emergency in Texas

Hurricane Harvey forces hospitals to close


The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center was forced to close nine locations Monday due to severe flooding from Hurricane Harvey, according to an article on the Fierce Healthcare website.

Several Texas hospitals have had to evacuate patients and operate on backup systems.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price declares a public health emergency in Texas, which will allow the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services to waive certain documentation requirements so hospitals and nursing homes that don’t have access to patient records can care for evacuated patients, the article said.

HHS has helped evacuate 182 patients from three hospitals in Victoria; sent 53,000 pounds of medical equipment and supplies to Texas and Louisiana, activated the AABB blood disaster task force and has more than 500 personnel on the ground.

Read the article.

 

 



August 30, 2017


Topic Area: Safety


Recent Posts

5 Reasons Engineering is the Edge in Healthcare Master Planning

The most successful plans go further to unlock smarter investments, improve resilience and enable better patient outcomes.


Building an AI-Ready Healthcare Facility 

Creating a secure, standardized data foundation can help facilities teams put AI to work more effectively.


Family Medical Associates of Raleigh Reports April 2026 Data Breach

The investigation has found evidence that between April 18, 2026, and April 20, 2026, an unauthorized actor intermittently accessed some FMAR systems.


Every Detail Matters: A Patient's Story of Healing, Hope and Healthcare Facilities

In the Facilities in Focus season finale, 11-year-old Kendalynn and her mother share how Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital became more than a place for care.


Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center Tops Off New 11-Story Tower

The expansion will improve the patient experience by transitioning the hospital to all private patient rooms while significantly increasing clinical capacity.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.