Sisters of Mercy Health System is mobilizing available resources and staff members to aid the disaster response effort at 347-bed St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin, Mo. The hospital is part of 22-hospital Mercy, based in Chesterfield, Mo. St. John's was severely damaged by a massive tornado that tore through the region Sunday.
The Associated Press reported at least four people were killed at the hospital, quoting to Dr. Jim Roscoe, who arrived at the hospital shortly after the storm. He didn't know whether they were patients or staff. He said some colleagues who also were injured worked all night long.
Lynn Britton, Mercy's president and CEO, issued a statement on the system's website, calling the tornado “devastating.” The top priority, Britton said, is to account for the hospital's patients—who numbered 187 at the time of the storm—as well as its roughly 1,700 employees.
The patients were triaged through Freeman Health System, a 318-bed hospital also located in Joplin. They were then sent to a number of different hospitals scattered throughout southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas, according to the statement.
St. John's roof was torn off in the storm and hundreds of the facility's windows were blown out, according to reports from the Associated Press.
“The building has been completely evacuated and secured,” Britton said in the statement. “Structural engineers are on their way to Joplin to evaluate the facility.”
Mercy has been collecting names of healthcare personnel who are willing to travel to Joplin, if needed, and the health system has also set up an incident command center to coordinate the response. In addition, Mercy said it had established a contact phone number to account for Joplin-area employees.
Mercy also responded to reports that patients' paper medical records had been found strewn around the area surrounding St. John's.
“We are asking anyone who has found medical records or information that appears to be related to patient care to hold these documents, as we determine a process for collecting them,” the system said on its website. “Please respect the privacy of any records you may have, and we will advise about the process for returning them to Mercy shortly.”
Rod Pace, Med Flight manager at St. John's Regional, was on the second floor of the hospital on Sunday evening to finish payroll, according to the AP.
Pace told the AP he saw the swirling rain start to form about a mile off. The flags outside suddenly stopped blowing to the northeast, only to be pulled back to the west.
Glass doors he was holding onto—ones with a 100-pound magnet to keep them locked—were pulled open with Pace still holding on to the handles.
He headed to the hospital's interior for cover. Then he heard the roar. Pace and a co-worker pushed on a door to make sure it stayed shut, but it kept swaying back and forth.
“I've heard people talk about being in tornadoes and saying it felt like the building was breathing,” Pace said. “It was just like that.”
Outside, an explosion. Glass shards pelted the exterior. Pace heard screams. He helped pull debris off two people outside the emergency room. “There was a lot of strength in the leadership in the hospital and ER here,” Pace said. “Things were going as they were supposed to go.”
