03/28/2024
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By Roxana Ross and Amanda Crabtree

With the experiences gained from Hurricanes Matthew and Florence, Southeastern Health is carefully watching and preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian. SeHealth’s leadership have been following weather briefings from the National Weather Service and will be opening the health system’s emergency command center at 7 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5 before the storm is expected to make landfall in North Carolina.

Other preparations, like ordering and stockpiling supplies, arranging “lock-in” schedules for necessary staff, and making arrangements for possible issues after the storm have been ongoing all week. As well as the main hospital, preparation planning includes SeHealth’s many clinics and its inpatient facilities including WoodHaven and Southeastern Hospice House.

“We learned a lot about how to prepare and respond to these situations in the last couple of years,” said David Sumner, SeHealth Vice President of Corporate Services & Chief Strategy Officer and Executive in Charge for Hurricane Dorian. “While we always hope for a best-case scenario of the hurricane going out to sea, we are preparing for the worst-case scenario.”

Until the storm passes and most issues in its aftermath are resolved, SeHealth’s leadership team will continue to hold daily briefings to address any concerns, or to provide updates and instructions related to the health system’s hurricane preparations.

As with the last hurricane, Southeastern Health will also have an employee stationed at the Robeson County Office of Emergency Management throughout the event, to be a constant and direct line of communication between the two organizations.

 

Closings

On Thursday, Sept. 5, all SeHealth clinics and affiliates will close at noon and remain closed on Friday, Sept. 6 with plans to reopen under normal operating schedules on Monday, Sept. 9. Operating schedules for weekend services, such as fitness centers and walk-in clinics, will be reassessed and announced Friday afternoon.

One exception to this schedule is Southeastern Health’s retail pharmacies. Southeastern Pharmacy #1, located within SRMC, will continue normal operating hours. Southeastern Pharmacy Health Mall (#2) will close at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, remain closed on Friday, Sept. 6, and resume normal operating hours on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 8:30 am.

 

Visitation

Southeastern Regional Medical Center will limit visitors to one per patient beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5. Examples of patients who may be allowed to have more than one family member present may include critically ill individuals, children, senior citizens and expectant mothers.

“We certainly want to be sensitive to issues related to the health status of our patients and will assess appropriate numbers of visitors for critically ill patients on a case-by-case basis,” said SeHealth Director of Guest Services Alisia Oxendine.

Visitors will be required to sign in with security personnel in the main lobby.

Oxendine added that patients’ families may contact Guest Services at (910) 671-5592 or (910) 671-5000 for assistance and support throughout the storm.

 

Shelters

Because Southeastern Regional Medical Center is not equipped to house large numbers of visitors in its main lobby for an extended period of time, the general public is asked to seek shelter from any severe weather brought about by Hurricane Dorian at a shelter designed by Robeson County Government, to include Lumberton Sr. High School and Purnell Swett High School.

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