Nursing

Nurses respond to Hurricane Harvey

Nurse Leader Insider, August 31, 2017

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Nurses are coming from around the country to aid hurricane relief efforts in Texas.

As flood waters continue to rise to unprecedented levels, hospitals and health systems in the Houston area are being forced to reduce or halt operations. In cases where patients must be evacuated, the process may take days.

12,000 members of the National Guard have been called in to aid these efforts; among them is Judith Chedville, an advanced practice nurse with Austin Regional Clinic. She is part of 949 BSB Charlie Company, a specialized unit trained in handling mass casualties that consists of many doctors, nurses, and medics. Her unit was called into active duty on Monday, and they are helping victims of the hurricane in the Houston area.

While not part of the military, critical care nurse Allie Pillow is part of a group of nurses from Nashville, TN heading to Houston hospitals to help where they can. Pillow says that this is just one of the many groups of nurses volunteering in the area: “I’ve never seen so many ER nurses that just immediately responded. It’s the nature of what I feel like of our profession is, we want to help others.”

With the flood conditions so severe, hospital staff in Texas are unable to leave their facility, as other nurses and doctors cannot get to the hospital to relieve them. Many are serving around the clock and without sleep.

Visit PSQH.com more information on Harvey’s effect on Texas hospitals.
 



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