North Oaks Helping Lake Charles Memorial Hospital Care for its Patients in Hurricane Laura's Aftermath

Fifteen hospital patients from the Lake Charles area are now receiving care at North Oaks Medical Center in Hammond.

The 15 patients were evacuated to the safety of North Oaks Medical Center from Lake Charles Memorial Hospital Friday, Aug. 28. The Lake Charles hospital evacuated all 146 of its patients to other Louisiana hospitals in the face of being without an adequate water supply for an extended period of time in the wake of Hurricane Laura.

“When disaster strikes, the true strength of our state’s medical community is realized,” affirms North Oaks Health System President/Chief Executive Officer Michele Sutton, FACHE. “With the assistance of the Louisiana Emergency Response Network, we pull together and do whatever it takes to make sure hospital patients can continue to be cared for safely.”

While two patients arrived in the early morning hours Aug. 28, the remaining 13 made the four-hour trek from Lake Charles in a convoy of ambulances that arrived all at once around 3 p.m.

North Oaks Chief Operating Officer Michael Watkins credits Chief Medical Officer Robert Peltier, MD, and Chief Nursing Officer Kirsten Riney for orchestrating a smooth transition for the patients.

“With their guidance, the clinical resource nurse and a dedicated team of physicians, nurses, case managers, respiratory therapists and support personnel began reviewing each patient’s case and making preparations for their arrival,” Watkins explains.

“I am so proud of our team’s preparation and compassion,” asserts Sutton. “Within 20 minutes of the convoy pulling up to our ambulance entrance, they had every patient in a hospital room and receiving appropriate care. Our caregivers are honored to assist Lake Charles Memorial Hospital in the care of their patients. We truly are all in this together.”