Local ER nurse sent to Cedar Rapids
Posted: Saturday, June 14, 2008
SIOUX CITY -- Emergency room nurse Sally McMahon has been dispatched from St. Luke's Regional Medical Center to assist hospitals in flood-stricken central Iowa as part of Iowa's Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT).
McMahon was sent to Cedar Falls earlier this week, then dispatched to St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids after the nearby Mercy Medical Center was forced to close its doors Thursday night, said Pat Denzer, chief operating officer for St. Luke's Regional Medical Center in Sioux City. Many of Mercy's patients were evacuated to St. Luke's which is located nearby but on higher ground in Cedar Rapids. The two St. Luke's hospitals are part of the same health network.
"That's been the only person we have sent to Cedar Rapids," Denzer said, noting that more personnel would be dispatched upon request.
The federal disaster response team consists of representatives from St. Luke's, Mercy Medical Center and possibly other local agencies, Denzer said. It is simply confusing to send personnel when they are not requested, she said, also noting the issues with closed roads and other problems in the area.
Local hospitals are also involved in the Health Alert Network which has a state-level command center established in Des Moines. Denzer said they are monitoring e-mail messages to see if any patients will be dispatched to this area from the flood zone. As of late Friday afternoon, no patients were being sent to Sioux City.
-- John Quinlan
McMahon was sent to Cedar Falls earlier this week, then dispatched to St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids after the nearby Mercy Medical Center was forced to close its doors Thursday night, said Pat Denzer, chief operating officer for St. Luke's Regional Medical Center in Sioux City. Many of Mercy's patients were evacuated to St. Luke's which is located nearby but on higher ground in Cedar Rapids. The two St. Luke's hospitals are part of the same health network.
"That's been the only person we have sent to Cedar Rapids," Denzer said, noting that more personnel would be dispatched upon request.
The federal disaster response team consists of representatives from St. Luke's, Mercy Medical Center and possibly other local agencies, Denzer said. It is simply confusing to send personnel when they are not requested, she said, also noting the issues with closed roads and other problems in the area.
Local hospitals are also involved in the Health Alert Network which has a state-level command center established in Des Moines. Denzer said they are monitoring e-mail messages to see if any patients will be dispatched to this area from the flood zone. As of late Friday afternoon, no patients were being sent to Sioux City.
-- John Quinlan
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
