Update: EMS Traffic Resumes - Flooding Recovery at Duke University Hospital Emergency Department
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Duke University Hospital has officially lifted the diversion protocol for the Emergency Department and is actively accepting all EMS traffic.
We extend our heart-felt thanks to area emergency medical services and neighboring hospitals that provided support over these past days as our teams worked to operationalize our Emergency Department after the Dec. 26 flooding.
(December 30 update below)
Working around the clock to ensure that our patients receive high-quality care, crews at Duke University Hospital have made progress in restoring some essential services to the Emergency Department, which was flooded on Dec. 26 after a chilled water pipe burst.
The ED front entrance, waiting room and 16 beds are now operational. We are also using additional clinical units for treating emergency patients who arrive by their own means. This represents a majority of the 76 spaces the hospital typically has in its Emergency Department.
The ED is still on divert for ambulance traffic, but we anticipate opening up to some ambulance traffic later today. The hospital is accepting transfer patients from other hospitals who need inpatient care and it has accepted more than 100 patients over the last four days.
Surgical cases are proceeding as normal.
Adjacent radiology areas suffered significant damage, and imaging services continue to be redistributed to other sites throughout the hospital and health system, prioritizing acute care patients first.
Our priority is the safety and care of our patients, and we appreciate our incredible teams working non-stop to restore access to the services patients need as we recover from this unprecedented event. We also extend a sincere thank you to our neighboring hospitals that have taken care of the community in extraordinary fashion during this event.
(PRIOR UPDATE BELOW)
With the safety of our patients and our staff members as a top priority, Duke University Hospital continues to address cleanup and water mitigation following flooding from the burst pipe that occurred on Dec. 26.
Questions have been raised about discolored flood water. The pipe that ruptured was a chilled water line, which is used to supply heating and cooling to the building. While the water is not drinking water, it is clean water that is treated to prevent biological growth, corrosion, and scale.
As the water came down through the ceiling and walls, it picked up and carried debris. Our Occupational & Environmental Safety Office (OESO), Infection Prevention team and hospital leadership have been working together to ensure water recovery initiatives are undertaken safely and expeditiously.
Flooding primarily impacted the first floor of the hospital near the Emergency Department and adjacent areas; there were no impacts to in-patient units or surgical suites, which are located on other floors.
Currently, emergency patients who arrive by their own means to the ED are being cared for in alternate locations throughout the hospital. Some ED beds have reopened, and we hope to open additional beds, the ED triage area and waiting room this weekend.
Ambulance traffic is still on divert, but our goal is to resume service as soon as possible. We are grateful for our EMS partners and other local health care facilities who have helped ensure that our community has access to urgent medical care.
We are working diligently to restore the high quality of care our patients and the public expect from Duke University Hospital and we are making every effort to ensure there are minimal disruptions during this unprecedented event.