November 29, 1999

Y2K – The Emergency Department is ready

To make sure the MGH is ready for almost anything that the millennium may bring, the MGH Emergency Department (ED) has been planning for the past year and a half with the MGH Y2K and Disaster Planning Committees, as well as the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals (COBTH) Disaster Committee.

"The ED has to be ready for disaster on any day of the year, but Y2K makes the risks a little higher," says Maryfran Hughes, RN, nurse manager of the ED and chair of the COBTH Disaster Committee. "There will be an expected 3 million to 4 million people in the city for New Year's Eve, and we need to prepare for both internal and external disasters, including utility failure and accidents, as well as volume overload associated with the crowds."

The ED will add an extra 30 to 40 percent to the regular number of staff –  including doctors, nurses and administrative staff – for duty Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Because the ED anticipates a higher volume of patients, a temporary second waiting room will be opened for visitors of ED patients.

Availability of radio communication is assured in the event of telephone failure. Should the power fail, the hospital has generators that will supply power for up to 72 hours, and the Y2K planning committee is making sure that appropriate equipment, such as cardiac monitors and life-support machinery, is plugged into the generators.

"In some ways, it's business as usual," says Hughes. "But because there are some extra concerns that night, we are making sure that all the proper precautions are taken."