FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — On Monday, five days after Hurricane Ian hit the west coast of Florida, critically ill patients on ventilators arrived by helicopter at Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston.
Unlike normal transfers, the handoff from one medical team to another consisted only of a word-of-mouth report on the patient’s medical condition. A lack of power, water and staff had made their relocation from Lee Health hospitals imperative.
“I had to remind our staff that this isn’t normal,” said Scott Ross, chief medical officer at Cleveland Clinic Florida. “I told them, don’t get frustrated by how quickly patients are arriving or the lack of information we are receiving. They are coming from hospitals where there is no electricity, no access to medical records. They haven’t even printed paper charts because it is just not feasible.”
