Grady Memorial Hospital will start accepting some new patients Friday morning after flooding damaged 200 rooms last weekend.
Grady will admit trauma, stroke and burn patients starting at 7 a.m., hospital spokeswoman Denise Simpson said in a statement.
Emergency patients have been diverted to other hospitals since a 2-foot water pipe burst Saturday afternoon, flooding several floors of the building.
RELATED: Grady ER remains on diversion, more than 200 rooms damaged by flooding
“By phasing off diversion and opening our doors to trauma, stroke and burn patients, Grady will again be able to provide the critical services other hospitals and the community rely on Grady for,” Simpson said. “We hope to relieve some of the burden experienced by other metro Atlanta hospitals during our current facility crisis.”
Grady advertises itself as the busiest trauma center on the East Coast, and the influx of emergency patients to other hospitals has put a strain on the resources of such facilities as Emory and Piedmont.
MORE: Emory hospital diverts patients due to flooding at Grady
Emory Healthcare said Tuesday that its Midtown location went into diversion mode because of the high volume of patients from Grady.
In addition to accepting new patients, Grady will also operate the Atlanta Metro EMS coordination center to ensure that ambulances inside the Perimeter are transporting patients to the appropriate hospitals, Simpson said.
MORE: Area hospitals take in Grady patients following burst pipe, flooding
“Centralizing the coordination of Metro Atlanta EMS Services will ensure patients are being transported to the appropriate facilities based on their medical needs,” she said.
In addition to “significantly damaging” some rooms, Saturday’s flooding also caused electrical issues in the patient care tower, hospital officials said. The electrical repairs could take up to three weeks to complete. In the meantime, 30% of Grady’s elevators are out of service.
About the Author
