Category Archives: Weather

Emergency medical condition and nowhere to go!

Staten Island University Hospital South

Two of three Staten Island Hospitals sit in Zone A flood Zones.  We decided on late Friday to “test” the City’s ability to help navigate us as to where we should go, if in fact we needed to seek emergency medical help.  The response we got from 311 and local hospital operators were staggering, if not scary.  Some suggested 911, but without power, cell phone service or any land line service in a worst-case scenario, you might be rendered helpless.  The bottom line is that it’s not safe to assume the use of any electrical communication devise be a prerequisite to finding help; especially when there may not be any available.

Staten Island’s only emergency room at Richmond University Hospital was the only one available, and if you live in areas on the South Shore, it would likely average a minimum of forty minutes to get there by auto.  Not to mention the fact that leaving the capacity of one emergency room for a population of 400,000+ residents is a serious crisis.  While we didn’t see the worst of Hurricane Irene, we saw a serious flaw in how our inquiries on what to do in the event of a medical emergency for a Staten Island resident seeking emergency medical help.
Again, we decided to test the system—about three hours after the mandatory evacuation was put in place.  What we found was staggeringly troublesome.

If you would like to find out where you would have to go in the event of a medical emergency during Hurricane Irene, you may not want to bother calling any of the hospitals on Staten Island, or 311.

On Friday, we asked each person who answered the phone which hospital we should use, or where to go, since they were evacuated.  Our first call was to Staten Island University Hospital North.  The first call we made, we were hung up on.  We decided to call back, where we received a reply after asking simply, “Since the hospital is evacuated, where should we go if we have a medical emergency?”  The answer was, “Call 3-1-1.”

So that’s what we did—we called 3-1-1.  Since New York City was the one to place the order to evacuate two of three Staten Island hospitals, they should be able to answer what hospital we should be directed to.  Quite simply, we were told that there are no public hospitals on Staten Island, and to consult 4-1-1 or use the phone book.

So on we went, continuing with Staten Island University Hospital South—maybe we would get an answer.  Nope, we were told to contact 311.  We informed them that we had, and we told to call 411.  Then we were told to, “check the new,” which would not be of any help if there is no electricity during the storm.

We then tried to contact five Staten Island Physicians Practice offices and ask what we should do if we had a medical emergency.  Again we were told to call 3-1-1.  On our final call, however, we informed them that we had already dialed 3-1-1 and had not been given any useful information, so their response an apology, the fact that they would be closed on Sunday, along with the North and South branches of the Staten Island University Hospital, and that Richmond University Medical Center would be open.  We finally got an answer, so we proceed to call Richmond University Medical Center.  Again, we posed the same question we posed to each of the hospitals and medical offices in order to find out where we could go.

Finally, we made a call to Richmond University medical Center, the only hospital available to Staten Island for more than 48 hours.  When we dialed their number and asked where we should go in the event of a medical emergency during the hurricane, we received a reply—they were open, but for more information, “go to 818 News online.”  Upon entering the website, you will find nude news anchors presenting the news.

So let’s see…  We can’t call the hospitals because they will tell you to go on a wild goose chase, and you can’t check the news because everybody is so concerned with where the hurricane is that nobody knows where to go or what to do during it.  It’s good to know that New York has prepared for the hurricane, instead of putting everybody in a panic. Someone needs to address this critical issue in the event such an incident happens again.  We decided on posting this after the storm so as to cause no panic. The bottom line The futile process of assertaining correct information and calling took over two hours.

First, there was a serious breakdown in any reliable information from any source about what we would do if we needed emergency medical care, assuming we had no communication devices to call 911.

Second, leaving one critical care hospital over fifteen miles away from residents of Tottenville is an unacceptable plight for someone seeking help for a medical emergency.  However, a serious reevaluation needs to be done, as there is a critical flaw in our emergency medical options and capacity during a crisis that calls for evacuation; especially since two of three Staten Island hospitals sit in Zone A flood zones.

Third, rendering our medical system to nearly ¼ of its capacity, something not required of any other New York City Borough, is unacceptable.

A start would be looking at what was done with Meadowlands Hospital in New Jersey, which also sits in a flood zone.  They created an emergency room out of a school…See the article.

While we can breathe a sigh of relief, the worst has passed with Hurricane Irene, but it leaves a lot of questions to remain.  Most of our plight in the event of emergency is largely being overlooked.