July 30, 2004

MGHers prepared: But DNC week proves uneventful

After months of planning and weeks of bracing for chaotic conditions, the week during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) went smoothly for the MGH community as Hotline goes to press.

Getting to and from the hospital went relatively well for employees, patients and visitors who either used public transportation or drove in early and left before the road closures. Armed with alternate route directions to the hospital, night-shift employees were able to traverse the roads despite the closures. Information was collected about employees' commutes and was sent out each day by e-mail to help advise other employees about commuting conditions.

Deliveries of food and dietary supplies, medicines and other items were made at earlier times to avoid traffic delays. Blood supplies from the American Red Cross were delivered to help maintain the hospital's provisions.

MGH Police and Security staff - which was tripled to handle the expected security measures during the week - increased surveillance activities around the main campus, monitored certain hospital areas and checked employee IDs. The around-the-clock presence of state police designated to the MGH to patrol the perimeter around the hospital also supplemented the hospital's security plan.

Operational inpatient occupancy was slightly less then usual, but patient care activity remained busy. On July 27, there were 90 admissions compared to 139 on average for a Tuesday. The Emergency Department also had 158 patient visits as opposed to an average of 207 for a Tuesday.

While there were fewer disruptions to hospital activities than expected, the seamless operations during the week can be attributed to the proactive planning that was done months in advance. The multidisciplinary DNC planning task force - chaired by Bonnie Michelman, director of MGH Police, Security and Outside Services - started meeting in the spring to prepare the hospital for what could happen during the DNC.

These preparations included making alternate plans to accommodate both inpatients and outpatients during the week, modifying staff schedules to adapt to changes in patient volume, developing informational materials such as the hospital's DNC website, testing emergency response systems, staffing a DNC phone line to answer questions, revising shuttle transportation schedules, making changes to parking arrangements, developing alternate driving routes to and from the hospital and creating a comprehensive security plan.

"The endless hours of operational design and preparations for this week so far were more strenuous than the execution of our superb multifaceted security plan," says Michelman. "The months of planning and hours of meetings with outside agencies all proved to be invaluable in managing hospital activity and deterring issues. I know that the quality, skills and professionalism of my excellent staff, along with the support of the entire MGH community, has made all the difference in the world."