Some hospitals and nursing facilities along Florida's Gulf Coast had to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton, affecting thousands of patients. But most hospitals in the Tampa Bay region remain open, and officials say they're prepared to care for patients throughout the storm.
Here's what some hospitals say they're doing:
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is caring for more than 4,000 people at its Sarasota and Venice locations, including 2,500 staff members who will spend the duration of the storm on-site.
The Sarasota campus is 19 feet above sea level while the Venice hospital is a little more than 16 feet above sea level, according to CEO David Verinder. The hospital is well-stocked with supplies and has generators and fuel to keep running despite area power outages, he said.
"We drill for storms and catastrophes and unfortunate events all the time," said Verinder. "Unfortunately, we've had the opportunity to prepare for actual named storms three times this year now. So we've gotten our muscle memory in pretty good place."
RELATED: Florida hospitals and health care facilities in Hurricane Milton's path prepare for the worst
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital has a central energy plant with elevated generators in case of flooding. The generators can power the hospital for more than eight days if needed, said Melissa Macogay, vice president and chief nursing officer at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.
The hospital is caring for close to 200 children, so staying operational is critical, she said.
"Having that plant situated on our campus and having the ability to know that that’s not one of our worries right now is really kind of comforting."
All Children's is caring for some infants in its neonatal intensive care unit that transferred from Manatee Memorial Hospital ahead of the storm, said Macogay.
BayCare hospitals in the region are also treating patients from facilities that had to evacuate — including one of its own: Morton Plant North Bay in New Port Richey.
That hospital's nearly 150 patients were relocated to other BayCare centers to minimize disruption for families, said Keri Eisenbeis, BayCare's chief of staff.
"And then we will be a partner to other hospitals in the area, south of us, that might be interrupted, we’re currently accepting those transfers as well," she said.
BayCare is also letting the state use two of its vacant properties for Milton response.
A building in Tampa that BayCare purchased earlier this year to convert into an outpatient facility is being used as an emergency shelter.
The retired South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City has also been turned over to the state to house health care patients displaced by the storm’s impact. BayCare closed the facility in August after it opened a newly constructed hospital at a different location.
