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

Contaminants Under Foot: A Closer Look at Patient Room Floors

So-called dust bunnies on hospital room floors contain dust particles that turn out to be the major source of the bacteria humans breathe.


Power Outages Largely Driven by Extreme Weather Events

Almost half of power outages in the United States were caused by extreme weather events.


Nemours Children's Health Opens New Moseley Foundation Institute Hospital


Code Compliance Isn't Enough for Healthcare Resilience

Intensifying climate risks are pushing hospitals to think beyond code requirements and toward long-term resilience.


Ribbon Cutting Marks First Phase Completion for New Montefiore Einstein Facility

The second phase is expected to be completed in the second half of 2027.


 
 


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.

 
 
 
 

Healthcare Facilities Today membership includes free email newsletters from our facility-industry brands.

Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Posts

Copyright © 2023 TradePress. All rights reserved.