January 28, 2005

Blizzard 2005 doesn't deter MGHers

While most New Englanders were braving long grocery lines and buying other
necessities Jan. 22 to prepare for the impending blizzard, MGH employees
were busy preparing to take care of patients during what turned out to be one of the top five snowstorms in Massachusetts' history.

As a 24-hour, 365-days-a-year operation, the MGH must provide services to patients even during the worst of weather.Weekend-shift employees worked together to plan for the winter blast, coordinating staffing needs, supplies and logistics throughout the course of the storm. MGHers resumed normal operations Jan. 24 only to be faced with more snow Jan. 26.

"It never ceases to amaze me how MGH clinicians and staff rise to the occasion
when faced with such challenges as redirecting the course of hospital operations
during a record-breaking snowstorm," says Jeanette Ives Erickson, RN, MS, senior
vice president for MGH Patient Care Services and chief nurse. "Staff from every
department worked together to make sure patient care was not interrupted and to ensure that our facilities were well stocked with supplies and made safe for everyone. The teamwork that took place to prepare for both storms was extraordinary."