ATLANTA — Cleanup and repairs have begun in the patient units at Grady Memorial Hospital that were significantly damaged by flooding when a 24-inch pipe burst on Saturday.
A hospital spokesperson said Wednesday that they hope to reopen 62 beds to patient care within a week. There are 158 beds located in damaged units that will be off-line for "several months" of repair and restoration work, they said. Those efforts have already begun.
Because Grady’s emergency and trauma services have been on diversion, other area hospitals have seen a marked increase in their patient volumes, hospital staff said.
"We continue to work collaboratively with metro area providers on any additional patient transfers, keeping the best interest of the patient at the forefront of our decisions," media relations manager Denise Simpson said in a statement.
The hospital said 45 Grady patients were accepted by other hospitals for inpatient care and nearly 30 were safely transported to post-acute care facilities.
"We recognize the serious burden these institutions experienced as they collectively provided care to those who were not able to come to our emergency department via ambulance," Simpson said.
She said Grady averages over 450 emergency room visits per day. However, due to the diversion status, they have only been able to care for about 200 patients per day who arrived at the emergency room on their own.
"This serious incident demonstrates just how crucial Grady is to Atlanta’s health and the operations of its hospitals," Simpson said.
Officials also announced on Wednesday that they lifted restrictions on family visitation yesterday.
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