West Jefferson Medical Center
1101 Medical Center Blvd., Marrero, Louisiana

West Jefferson Medical Center

Status:
The facility remained open during Hurricane Katrina and stayed open throughout the subsequent flooding.

Condition:
Little damage from the hurricane; there was some window breakage and relatively minor exterior damage. The hospital currently operates near or at capacity.

Response:
West Jefferson Medical Center did not evacuate during Hurricane Katrina or subsequently. Back-up generators provided power. Onsite were approximately 300-350 hospital patients, 1,000 staff members, 400-500 family members of staff, 80 critical needs patients and their caregivers, and 300-400 emergency workers. Many critical needs patients were transferred to other facilities. A hospital leadership team established an incident command center according to the hospital’s emergency plan, and key staff held twice-daily departmental briefings. Staff report that their relationships with local government, service providers, and businesses were critical to hurricane recovery.

Current Challenges:
Housing for approximately 350 displaced hospital employees is urgently needed. DMAT teams continue to handle emergency care for higher-than-usual numbers of patients. As the likelihood increases that neighboring hospitals may not re-open, officials report that West Jefferson is poised to play a larger role in medical care for the greater New Orleans area.

Submitted by Lucy Arendt and Daniel Hess
October 6, 2005

• return to damage reports