Hospitals in Austin are running out of water, forcing some to transfer patients

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Austin-area hospitals are facing widespread water issues after severe weather this week.

St. David’s South Austin Medical Center said it lost water pressure from the city Wednesday, creating a series of problems.

“Water feeds the facility’s boiler, so as a result, it is also losing heat,” David Huffstutler, CEO of St. David’s HealthCare, said in a statement.

Huffstutler said the hospital is working with city officials to fix the situation. In the meantime, hospital and city officials are finding transportation to get patients “who are medically able to be discharged home safely.”

Other patients are being sent to hospitals that have capacity. St. David’s South Austin Medical Center has just under 300 patients, officials said.

“Because this is a statewide emergency situation that is also impacting other hospitals within the Austin area,” Huffstutler said, “no one hospital currently has the capacity to accept transport of a large number of patients.”

St. David’s is passing out water bottles and jugs to patients and employees for drinking and hand-washing. It is figuring out a way to get portable toilets, officials said.

"Through our national partner, HCA Healthcare, we are able to secure and source food, linens, medication and supplies needed to care for and serve our patients," Huffstutler said.

Employees scheduled to work are being asked to stay in the hospital.

Seton hospitals in the area are also facing water problems.

A spokesperson for Ascension Seton said in a statement that “extreme weather conditions have caused intermittent water issues at several Ascension Seton” facilities.

In a letter obtained by KUT, patients and families at Dell Children’s are being asked to not take showers and to use hand sanitizer to clean their hands. They were also told the toilets can’t flush, and staff members are changing linens only as needed.

“We anticipate the temperature in the building will be more difficult to maintain as the temperature drops,” the letter said. “We do have a limited supply of fleece blankets available.”

A spokesperson for Ascension Seton said staff is working to fix issues across its network of hospitals in the area.

“All Ascension Seton hospitals have emergency response plans in place to provide uninterrupted patient care, including access to backup generators for each care site,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Throughout the year, our hospitals prepare for a variety of emergency situations, which includes testing of backup power sources and reviewing and updating emergency response plans on a regular basis.”

Ascension Seton officials say they are rescheduling elective surgeries.

St. David’s officials also announced they are “canceling all non-emergent procedures” for the time being.

This story comes from KUT, Austin’s NPR station. Email Ashley Lopez at alopez@kut.org. Follow her on Twitter @AshLopezRadio.

Disclosure: Ascension Seton has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.