SCHA is pleased to report that all hospitals are returning to normal operations as they repair minor damages, resume normal staffing levels, and repatriate evacuated patients.  As of today, we have received no requests from the National Disaster Management System, FEMA, or SCDHEC for patients needing to evacuate from other states.  Hospitals may now return to normal reporting activities in the SC SMARTT system. 

Throughout the course of Hurricane Irma, SCHA’s Emergency Operations Center worked 24-hours a day alongside our hospitals to provide information and help meet immediate needs.  We assisted with the evacuation of 46 patients from the Low Country in accordance with the Mutual Aid Agreement, and added six new facilities to the agreement during the event.   Being stationed at the Agency Coordination Center with SCDHEC proved helpful in many instances.  We hosted four large conference calls with over 500 participants, pushed out ten updates for CEOs and emergency managers, participated in nine regional healthcare coalition calls, and fielded over 250 calls to our Emergency Operations Center.  

As SCHA also returns to normal operations, we plan to debrief about what we did well and what we could do better in the next disaster.  We welcome your suggestions from the front line.  Please send your thoughts and suggestions to Melanie Matney or Morgan Bowne and we will be sure to discuss them in our debrief.

But perhaps most importantly, we are proud of the work of SC hospitals to protect and serve patients during another dangerous event for the state. We believe this demonstrates the high level of emergency preparedness at our member facilities, and your commitment to working together to weather the storm for South Carolina’s patients and communities. We are very proud of all the caregivers and support staff who gave their best, even in the face of personal danger. Not all superheroes wear capes, and in South Carolina many of them wear scrubs and hospital badges. 

As the representative of the state’s hospital community, we are proud to be associated with the men and women who work in our hospitals every day, but we’re especially proud in times like these. Thank you for what you do.