Updated Oct. 31 at 1:48 p.m. Throughout Tropical Storm Harvey, hospitals in the Katy area managed to carry on business more or less as usual, according to administrators. Neither Houston Methodist West Hospital, Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital nor Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus reported losing power, and all were able to continue patient procedures. All three credited their staff’s work ethic even when dealing with flooding in their own homes. None of the hospitals reported flooding, but Memorial Hermann Katy had some leaks that were fixed, according to CEO Heath Rushing. And all three hospitals said they worked with patients who needed access to prescriptions or electricity to stay healthy. “From our preparation and initial response I would say no, there’s really not a lot I would change,” Rushing said. “The one thing you learn going through this is it’s all about communication [with employees and patients].” One anomaly did occur at Houston Methodist and Memorial Hermann’s Katy sites: a spike in deliveries. Katy was also one of five Memorial Hermann locations that experienced the phenomenon—the others were Greater Heights and Children’s hospitals, as well as Memorial City Medical Center and The Woodlands Medical Center. The Katy hospital delivered 52 babies between Aug. 24-30, compared to the 44 babies the center would normally deliver that time, according to spokesperson Meredith Whittemore. She said no conclusive reason for the increase could be given, only anecdotal accounts that major storms' barometric pressure may induce labor. Vicki Brownewell, vice president and chief nursing officer at Houston Methodist Katy, said her hospital saw more deliveries after the storm, when people were finally able to leave their homes or were coming for prescheduled “elective deliveries” that were intentionally delayed. “Then we saw a surge,” she said. Houston Methodist West Brownewell said Houston Methodist West staff were divided into recovery teams prior to the storm. Those selected for “ride out,” the time in which traveling to and from the hospital is dangerous, were required to arrive before the worst weather arrived. “Our hurricane plan says at least 72 hours, so we did have some staff who stayed longer than 72 hours,” Brownewell said. The hospital had 134 patients during storm. It never lost power or took on water, including at its freestanding Emergency Care Center in Cinco Ranch-West, at 26000 FM 1093, Katy, and at the St. Catherine Hospital West-Katy long-term acute care center, 701 S. Fry Road, Katy. “At the St. Catherine’s location, where we have the long-term acute care facility, that took in some patients who were at risk of losing power,” Brownewell said. She credited staff for their dedication in the community during Harvey as well, including Carlos Gallegos, an emergency room technician and firefighter/EMT. “Between the fire station and Houston Methodist West, Carlos worked for eight days straight and saved countless lives,” Brownewell said. For future disaster events, Brownewell said her hospital will work with Walgreens to ensure their essential pharmacies in Houston Methodist buildings can remain open. “Our plan is to incorporate the drugstore or pharmacy staff into our ride-out and recovery teams so their staff can remain on the campus and keep their doors open.” Memorial Hermann Katy Rushing, also CEO of Memorial Hermann Cypress hospital, said his hospital system managed to maintain its normal 12-hour shifts. The Katy hospital had approximately 130 patients throughout the storm, and the smaller Cypress facility had nearly 30 patients during that time. The Katy hospital also housed about 350 employees overnight, and 100-125 stayed overnight at Cypress. Physicians of every specialty were available to patients, he said. The most common issues seen in the emergency room during that time were no different than under normal circumstances—chest pain, abdominal pain, heart disease and stroke cases. Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus At Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, Assistant Vice President Sara Montenegro said Harvey tested the resilience of the hospital’s hurricane emergency plan, which was only designed for a three-day event. “This was the first time we implemented that plan here,” Montenegro said. “We did bring in extra staff.” The facility had between 25 and 30 patients at any given time, as well as 222 staff who slept there for the four-day ride-out period. Each patient also had about three or four family members who needed to be considered as part of emergency preparations, she said. Montenegro also recalled the Coast Guard using the hospital helipad for evacuations at least 10 times during Harvey. Looking ahead, Montenegro predicted the hospital would expand its emergency plan. “I think as we take a step back and look at our disaster-preparedness effort … a plan that covers five or six days is something we’re really looking at differently,” she said. The hospital system also announced on Sept. 26 that it had created the Trauma and Grief Center and Harvey Resiliency and Recovery Program, to help patients deal with the long-term effects of disaster survival.