Princeton Baptist Emergency Department responds to emergencies from devastating storm system
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Following the tornadoes that assaulted Alabama, Princeton Baptist Medical Center in Birmingham treated 167 patients within the first 24 hours.
On April 27th, a series of massive tornadoes and storms devastated the south, killing hundreds and leaving demolished neighborhoods in its wake. The lethality of the storm system was second only to the largest death toll on March 18, 1925, when 727 perished in Illinois, Indiana and Missouri. The twisters sent victims fleeing to their nearest Emergency Departments for medical care and as a refuge from the widespread disaster.
The day the tornadoes hit, Princeton Baptist Medical Center saw 167 patients, many times the Emergency Department's average daily patient volume-an event that could cripple an ill-prepared ED. However, in the face of this crisis that brought about an overwhelming influx of casualties, the Princeton ED team, staffed and managed by Pegasus Emergency Group, handled themselves with professionalism, rationality and efficiency. Only one patient left without being seen the first day and merely three the second day, a true feat in the wake of unavoidable events that tested the mettle of the ED staff.
"I was amazed at how well-coordinated our effort was given the chaos and misinformation of that evening," said medical director Dr. Jeremy Rogers. "I'm very proud to have worked alongside all the staff during this time. We kept our focus on the patients in front of us, and we responded quickly to the situation as it developed."
Within one hour after the first tornado hit, the Princeton ED ramped up its staff with an extra 5 emergency physicians, as well as other physicians, nurses, techs, and ancillary staff. They also tapped into on-call physicians, including surgery, orthopedics and neurosurgery. The staff made use of every square foot of space in the ED-including hallways-and even used their admitting area for patient care.
"I am sincerely thankful for your outstanding leadership during this crisis and how Pegasus stepped up when we needed you," said Keith Parrott, CEO of Princeton, in an email to Pegasus CEO Dr. Elliot Justin. "It was inspirational to watch your team handle things in the ED. I was proud to be a part of Princeton and proud to have you leading this effort."
Over the critical two-day period, the Emergency Department saw a total of 312 patients, only three of whom left without being seen. This represents a left-without-being-seen rate of less than 0.01%. Pegasus attributes this incredibly well-coordinated response partly to the philosophy of best practices and policies implemented by Pegasus Emergency Group, but primarily to the unparalleled team selected to staff the Princeton Emergency Eepartment. We applaud their commitment to both their calling and their community.