By Healthcare Facilities Today

As winter storms hit large portions of the country, hospitals are reviewing their weather and emergency planning policies to put patient and staff safety first, all while combating weather-induced problems like transportation and blood shortages, according to an article on the Fierce Healthcare website.

During recent bad weather, University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital and  Alabama-based St. Vincent's Health System keeping in close contact with patients, rescheduling procedures on a case-by-case basis, according to the article. Automated systems allowed the hospitals to send patients text messages, emails and phone calls to keep them informed about their procedures.

Meanwhile, hospitals found creative solutions to battle Mother Nature, the article said. In Lanham, Md., officials at Doctors Community Hospital sought volunteer drivers with four-wheel drive vehicles to transport essential employees to and from its campus.

Hospital staff at Conway Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, S.C., spent the night to stay with patients, the article said.

"We don't get extra pay or anything for it," staff member Warren Faulk said in the article. "We just come in and take care of the patients. We've all chosen healthcare as our profession and our business and we go into it and that's just the life we lead and we're used to it."

Read the article.