Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center prepared for recent severe weather by providing a place to stay at the hospital for staff members to avoid commuting.
The hospital estimates more than 300 staff members used the accommodations.
“One of the things that I always worry about is just because we're essential employees doesn't mean we're not immune to getting stuck in the snow or being impacted in a snow emergency,” said Dr. Nicholas Kman, emergency physician and co-chair of the hospital’s Emergency Preparedness Committee.
The center also sent out emergency preparedness tips to staff ahead of the storm, including information on what supplies to keep in their cars.
Kman said hospital staff had great teamwork during the storm. Staff stayed longer on shift to give colleagues more time to travel and covered shifts for colleagues who couldn’t make it in.
The hospital also anticipated lower staffing levels due to the weather, along with a lower number of patients.
“In the same way that staff had a hard time getting to the medical center, our patient volume would have been impacted as well,” Kman said. “Our health system did not close any of our clinical sites, but the ability for patients to make it to our medical center because of the level three snow emergency may have dictated that we would need less staffing as well.”
Some hospital services were offered via telehealth because of the severe weather.
