On May 22, 2011, an EF5 multiple-vortex, 1-mile-wide tornado struck Joplin, Mo., killing 161 people and injuring about 1,100 others. Of the people killed in the storm, five of them were either patients or visitors of Mercy Hospital, which sustained a direct hit. The hospital itself, which was one of only two in the city, was a total loss.
In light of the magnitude of the damage to the building as well as much of the rest of the city, no one would have blamed Mercy Health for permanently closing their Joplin location and cutting their losses. Its leadership, however, was determined to re-build.
Here’s how Mercy Hospital is making a new start.
Tent Hospital Erected Only 1 Week After Tornado
Because the Joplin tornado was so massive and caused so much destruction, not surprisingly, the first hours and days after the tornado proved to be extremely challenging for Mercy Hospital staff.
“We had so many injuries in town,” says Gary Bartz, Mercy Hospital’s certified biomedical equipment technician. “There was lots and lots of flying debris, so there were people coming in day after day after day needing healthcare.”
Although the other hospital in town was doing its best to treat as many of the wounded as possible, Mercy Hospital officials knew they had to open their doors quickly so they could help. Only a week after the tornado struck, Mercy Hospital set up a MASH-style tent so its doctors could provide full hospital services to the Joplin community.
Drug Seekers and Looters Invade the City
Although the tent hospital helped with the patient surge, Mercy staff also had to deal with crime: specifically crime related to drug seeking.
“Virtually every pharmacy in town was broken into that night,” Bartz adds. “They literally had gangs from Tulsa, Little Rock, Oklahoma City and Kansas City busting into the pharmacies within hours.”
Someone also tried to break into the hospital’s Pyxis machines that had been used to dispense medications.
“We immediately had a team from Springfield go into the building and clear out all of the medication and narcotics,” says Mercy Hospital Manager of Security Tim Wampler. “We made sure it was drug free so if someone got into the hospital, they wouldn’t get that stuff.”
Guarding the tent, which also had a pharmacy in it, proved to be exceptionally challenging.
“It’s kind of like guarding a bank with a water gun, but we did it,” adds Wampler. “We had officers stationed there 24-7. Once we got into a hard shell, then it was a little easier because we could rely on cameras and do our rounds with officers.”
Looters were another problem in the days immediately following the tornado.
“At one time we had guys loading an ATM on the back of their pickup truck,” he says. “We also had a lot of issues with people trying to steal vehicles to make money from the salvage. We have 10 vehicles of our own that we never recovered.”
Orange temporary fencing, along with patrols by local law enforcement, the highway patrol and the National Guard, however, helped to secure the premises. To prevent vehicle theft, they created a check-in system at the parking lot gate.
Crime wasn’t the only issue. It was very difficult to obtain supplies or determine what was needed, especially since a third of Joplin was destroyed by the storm. Bartz and Wampler, however, say the city responded well and Mercy Health, the parent healthcare organization of the hospital, was able to enlist the help of Joplin’s sister hospitals.
Nothing from the Old Hospital Was Salvageable
With the patient safety and crime issues addressed, Bartz and Wampler could assess the damage to the hospital. It quickly became apparent that the old building would need to be demolished. Most of the windows had been blown out by the storm, so much of the equipment and structure inside was damaged beyond repair.
Radio communications were wiped out because the repeaters, which were on the top of the hospital, had been destroyed. The generators were also rendered useless.
“We had two in the basement and two outside of the building,” says Bartz. “[The tornado] picked up the building and destroyed those two [generators] immediately. That building then ended up on top of the fuel and cooling lines of the two generators in the basement, so they ran for just a short period of time.”
Even the equipment that wasn’t directly damaged by the tornado couldn’t be salvaged.
“The CDC determined that everything was contaminated by a fungus, so it all had to be destroyed,” he says.
Mercy Hospital officials then decided that another structure, called the Walden Building, would need to be erected and would act as the temporary hospital until 2015 when the permanent structure is scheduled to be completed. Construction of the Walden Building began in September 2011, and hospital staff moved in April 2012.
Regular Meetings Keep Security Installation on Track
Because the Walden building needed to be erected right away, it was prefabricated in California and then assembled on site. Some of the trades worked 24/7 so that the building would be completed on time.
Related Article: Lessons Learned from the Joplin Tornado
Total Electronics, a Joplin-based low voltage integrator, which had been working with Mercy Hospital several years before the tornado, installed the security equipment. The integrator installed new video surveillance and access control systems, which included megapixel cameras, software and NVRs from 3xLogic; IQinVision cameras; RBH access control; HID proximity cards; Securitron magnetic locks and HES electric strikes. The systems were installed in the maternity ward, neonatal unit, lunchrooms, break rooms, parking lots, pharmacy, halls, stairwells, ambulance bays, helicopter pad and other outside areas.
Logistics, employee scheduling and getting the right parts at the right times were the biggest challenges for the Total Electronics, according to Tom Harlen, who is its estimator and project manager.
“We had a lot of other customers that were trying to get their businesses and schools up and running all at the same time, so our guys were stretched pretty thin,” he says.
That being said, Harlan credits the construction project’s regular strategic planning meetings as one of the reasons why everything went smoothly.
“We had progress meetings every week where representatives from the various trades and hospital were there,” he says. “If something were needed, they made those decisions very quickly.”
He also appreciates the help he received from his security equipment manufacturers.
“Brian Davis from 3xLogic came out and helped us put together design ideas for the hospital based on their need,” Harlan adds. “I like that we had support from our major manufacturers.”
Bartz, Wampler Offer Lessons Learned
Needless to say, with such a huge undertaking, Mercy Hospital officials have learned a lot of lessons on protecting a hospital before,
during and after a disaster:
Bartz’s Lessons Learned:
- “In the new building, our generators are going to be subterranean, as well as the fuel tanks.” [Note: Although this suggestion is appropriate for tornado-prone areas, it is not appropriate for areas subject to flooding.]
- Windows will now be laminated so they can withstand stronger winds. “If you keep the wind out of the building, your building is not going to have nearly the damage.”
- “In the new hospital, the main part will be shielded by the clinic area.”
- “We will also have two basement areas so we have a lot more room to get patients and staff [in there] in case we ever get hit again.”
- Have electronic patient records that are backed up remotely. “On the night of the tornado when we had to transfer patients out, our records were still available on servers located in Washington, Mo. It made the transfer of patients much easier rather than having to search through paper charts.”
- Develop a good method of inventory control. “You’ve got to know what you have in that building. Someone’s got to keep track of every piece of equipment: furniture, artwork on the walls, etc.”
- “[In the old facility,] all of our DVRs were on UPSes, but what we hadn’t thought about was the fact that the majority of our cameras had power supplies located in remote areas. We didn’t have those on UPSes. Even though the DVRs kept recording, there was nothing to record because most of the cameras went down almost immediately. The tornado first hit about a mile west of town, so we started losing power poles out there, and one of our electrical feeds came from the west side of town, so we started losing things in some of our smaller buildings. Backup power is essential for all of your systems.”
Wampler’s Lessons Learned:
- “We’ve put grab bags together and put them on every floor throughout the hospital. They have flash lights, duct tape and other necessities you might need to get to quickly.”
- Have contact information of the highway department or city so you can quickly obtain the orange temporary fencing used at construction sites. The fencing deters intruders, looters and drug seekers.
- “We practice and practice fire drills and tornado drills. We had a tornado drill just a week before this happened, but it never really prepares you for what takes place when it really happens. Most of our staff acted on what they learned and it saved lives, but you just have to shoot from the hip.”
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