LSU Health Care Services Division (HCSD) hospitals that may be in the path of Hurricane Gustav are temporarily suspending hospital and clinic operations and evacuating patients to hospitals north of I-10.
The evacuations, which began Friday afternoon, are expected to be complete by Saturday evening.
LSU HCSD is conducting a complete evacuation of patients from Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma and Dr. Walter O. Moss Regional Medical Center in Lake Charles.
LSU HCSD is conducting a partial evacuation of Bogalusa Medical Center in Bogalusa and the Interim LSU Public Hospital in New Orleans.
University Medical Center in Lafayette has been placed on alert and is ready to evacuate if necessary.
Neonates will be transferred to Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge and LSU Health Sciences Center – Shreveport. Medical/surgical, ICU, and special needs patients will be transferred to Earl K. Long Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Huey P. Long Medical Center in Pineville, and LSU Health Sciences Center – Shreveport. Psychiatric patients will be transferred to Central Louisiana State Hospital in Pineville.
Dr. Walter O. Moss Medical Center is evacuating 10 patients.
Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center is evacuating 10 patients.
The Interim LSU Public Hospital is evacuating 52 high risk and special needs patients. It will shelter in place 130 patients.
Bogalusa Medical Center is evacuating 11high risk and special needs patients. It will shelter in place 8 patients.
If the path of the storm changes from its current course, LSU HCSD will alter evacuation plans accordingly and notify the public.
LSU HCSD encourages the public, its employees and medical staff to stay tuned to local radio, television, and the LSU Health System website, www.lsuhospitals.org, for information on changes to current plans and updates on the reopening of LSU HCSD facilities.
The LSU Health Care System Health Care Services Division is one of the largest public health care delivery systems in the country. It has over 31,000 admissions, 180,000 patient days, 981,000 outpatient visits, and over 270,000 emergency department visits. Each year 1100 residents and fellows from the LSU and Tulane Schools of Medicine and Ochsner Health System and 2,200 nurses and allied health students from many colleges and universities are trained in LSU facilities.
LSU is the largest single provider of uncompensated inpatient care in Louisiana. LSU HCSD hospitals have an economic impact of over $1.4 billion in asset business activity, $568 million in personal earnings, and generate over 12,000 jobs.
For more information, contact Marvin McGraw, Director of Communications and Media Relations, LSU Health Care Services Division, 225.922.1424 or mmcgra@lsuhsc.edu.