Heavy flooding has caused the Creekside Nursing Home to evacuate patients Wednesday morning to a temporary location at the Marion County Fairgrounds in Summit.
Tobias Pugsley VP of Communications and Marketing for Baxter Health gave the following interview to KTLO’s Heather Loftis on this developing situation.
Listen:
TRANSCRIPTION:
Loftis:
We’ve got Buddy Bodenhammer, EMS coordinator, Baxter Health and Tobias Pugsley as executive vice president marketing and communications to give us an update. Gentlemen, you are in Marion County at the fairgrounds. You have been working to transport patients from Creekside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Give us an update on the situation there, please.
Pugsley:
Yeah, Heather, about 5 a. m. this morning we got a call that there was some water in Creekside, and at that point the Marion County OEM set up over here at the fairgrounds in Marion County and Summit, and they started to work with our EMS to transport patients over here.
Up to this point, they’ve transferred a little over half of the patients. They’ve got, they’re utilizing both floors of the fairgrounds. Baxter’s helped bring in some medical supplies. The medical supplies are established at Creekside. They’ve been transported over. But the patients are going to stay here for the next little while as they find placement.
Of course, Creekside owns other nursing homes throughout the area, so they are trying to find a placement for these patients, but we’re, we’re getting all indication that could be 12 hours, maybe even longer.
Loftis:
How many patients are currently at the fairgrounds and how many are left to transport?
Pugsley:
We anticipate there’s about 80 patients total so far is what we’ve seen.
We say there’s probably, you know, 45-50 so far over here that have been transferred successfully and, and we’ve got some, some photos from our people on the ground over at Creekside right now. As the line of patients that are sitting there, you know the ones that are, you know, less maybe just a little bit easier to move and so they’re sitting there just waiting for transport to be able to move.
Loftis:
What kind of level of care is required for the patients that are being transported?
Puglsey:
You know, it’s all kinds of level of care really. And that’s been a little bit of the challenge, but the OEM team here and, and obviously some of our folks from Baxter came in to help, and, and they, it seems like they’ve got a really good handle on it, you know Creekside also has some behavioral health patients as well, and so, you know, there’s, there’s different protocols and things you have to do when it comes to that, so they’re, they’re trying to follow everything they can and, and do the best job, but right now you know, it’s all hands on deck. They’re trying to get everybody warm and dry and you know, just in a safe, comfortable place until they can find a more permanent place for them to go.
Loftis:
For families who have loved ones there, how do they- who do they contact and how do they contact them to get an update?
Pugsley:
So right now they’re just asking them to come to the fairgrounds if you need an update on your loved one. The Red Cross is on the way and they will be setting up some kind of, you know, phone or some kind of online contact that they’re in the process of that right now.
OEM in Marion County does have a Facebook page as well, so people can also try to message on that. But and they’ll also put out information, and we will ask for help as well, and we’ll communicate that as well to y’all at KTLO. And how they’ll be able to do that once that’s up and running.
Loftis:
You mentioned medical supplies?
Are there medical supplies that are needed at this time?
Pugsley:
We had to bring over wound care supplies and the reason why is, you know, some of these patients, they’ve had wounds in water, you know, for a little bit now, and obviously we want to get those cleaned out and taken care of as quickly as possible.
So, the first batch of supplies we brought over were all wound care supplies. And we- we’ve got people on the ground back at Baxter Health and Materials waiting if we have any other needs. At this time it seems like we’ve- we’ve been able to accommodate everything we needed.
Loftis:
Were there injuries reported due to this flooding this morning there at Creekside?
Pugsley:
No, no injuries, you know, just- just a little bit of excitement. I mean, but he wakes up with water in the bedroom. That’s obviously cause for alarm. So outside of just a little excitement, no injuries.
Loftis:
I’m sure community members are wanting to help and do whatever they can. Are they asking for volunteers at Creekside right now?
Or do they want people to stay away?
Pugsley:
Right now? It looks like they have the volunteers that they needed. And it also looks like they have the vehicle transport that they need. There, they were originally asking for a little bit of additional nurse support at the fairground, but at this point, it looks like they, they’ve kind of got that under control.
Obviously, if you’d like to help and you are close please, you know, come by the fairgrounds and, and check in right there at the front and we’ll find a place for you. Because Definitely can always use a little extra help.
Loftis:
Tobias, what about food, water, clothing, dry blankets?
Pugsley:
We are in the need of towels and dry blankets.
We do have another load coming over from Baxter from the hospital. But we do, we are in need of those. We’re, we’re starting to run low and as I said, we’ve still got other patients that will be transported over that will need those things. So if you do have some extra ones, they’ll definitely take those.
Again, just come by the fairgrounds here in Summit. You can drop those off at the front. Food we have brought over at least the breakfast portion. You know, we have some diabetic patients here you know, so there were some extra precautions we had to take around that. And then our friends at McDonald’s in Gassville hooked us up with some burritos and sausage biscuits for everybody else and the workers.
So I think we’re taking care of for breakfast, but, you know, if somebody wants to come by and donate a lunch or something, I’m sure it’d be much appreciated.
Loftis:
Again, how long do you anticipate being at the fairgrounds with the patients?
Pugsley:
They’re saying right now a minimum of 12 hours and anticipate possibly longer.
Loftis:
Do you have cots and beds if, if there’s any overnight?
Pugsley:
Right now they’re looking at potentially moving some of the furniture over from Creekside that is salvageable. And then once the Red Cross gets here, they’ll have a better idea of what kind of resources they’ll have around that. And then I think they’re waiting for them to, to show up to formulate a formal plan to, to be able to accommodate everybody.
Loftis:
What about the personal belongings of the residents at Creekside?
Pugsley:
You know, that’s something we’re going to have to point people back to Creekside for. They probably are going to have their own policies and procedures in place. And I’m not sure how, I’ve been through this once before when the tornado hit Hirram Shaddox and, you know, two days later, we went back in and got a nice lady’s pair of eyeglasses. But with this, unfortunately, because it’s Creekside’s property and it’s, it’s their you know, I, I can’t speak for them.
Loftis:
Again, they’re going to be transported to other facilities in the area. This, the company that owns Creekside has other facilities.
Do you, can you name those places where people are going to be transported?
Pugsley:
I’ve heard just preliminary that there’s, they have one in in Heber Springs and two in Harrison. And then one in Searcy as well. So they’re, you know, they’re still kind of in the region.
Loftis:
Though too.
Pugsley:
Absolutely. I mean, it’s still a travel for these family members and, and but, you know, with the damage and the reports that we’re hearing out there, I don’t know that they’ll be able to get back into that facility for quite some time.
Loftis:
Again, Tobias, buddy, this is a developing situation and we’ll try and update everyone hopefully by the noon broadcast as well to so we can keep everyone informed with the patients of Creekside.
Gentlemen, thank you.
Pugsley:
Absolutely.
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