Flooding at LBJ Hospital forces transfers to Ben Taub

Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital plans to transfer nearly three dozen of its patients to its sister facility Ben Taub Hospital as a result of 40 of its rooms suffering water damage from Tropical Storm Harvey.

Officials at the Harris Health System, the county entity that operates the safety-net hospitals, said Thursday that 34 patients will be moved in the next few days as part of the plan to take the rooms out of service. None are in the intensive care unit.

“Minimizing patient volume in the LBJ Emergency Center and working to safely relocate or discharge hospitalized patients from the identified areas is our first priority.” Alan Vierling, LBJ executive vice president and administrator, said in a statement.

LBJ is requesting ambulances be diverted to other hospitals during the repair period.

It will operate with fewer beds and defer all elective procedures throughout what’s expected to be a four-month project, officials said. Scheduled obstetrics procedures and infant deliveries will be performed at Ben Taub.

Ben Taub and LBJ are Houston’s two largest public hospitals. Ben Taub is located in the Texas Medical Center and is licensed for 444 beds. LBJ is located northeast of downtown and is licensed for 207 beds.

LBJ will begin the demolition, moisture mitigation and reconstruction efforts as soon as the rooms are taken out of service and is committed to finishing the project as quickly as possible, Vierling said.

Vierling said the complete moisture mitigation will require removal of drywall and insulation as part of the renovation. He said LBJ does not currently have any air quality concerns, but will continue to monitor and test all hospital areas throughout the renovation.

The patients being transferred to Ben Taub will be accompanied by their doctors, nurses and any other members of their clinical-care team.

In addition to the 34 patients being transferred, a not-yet-determined number will be discharged. The 40 rooms include some rooms with two patients.

Ben Taub suffered flooding in a number of basement areas Aug. 27, the day Harvey’s heaviest rains fell. The flooding compromised some services – the cafeteria and pharmacy, for example – to an extent it initially planned to evacuate its entire roughly 350-patient population. It ended up only transferring three. It is now fully operational again.

LBJ’s outpatient clinics were unaffected by rain damage and will maintain appointed schedules.