GALVESTON, Texas - The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston continues to receive national recognition for its Hurricane Rita hospital evacuation.
The National Congress for Secure Communities and ReadyCommunity Partnership presented Karen Sexton, vice president and CEO of hospitals and clinics, with a national service award recognizing UTMB's best practices for evacuation and continued efforts for preparedness and response.
During Hurricane Rita, a mandatory evacuation of Galveston Island included UTMB hospitals and clinics. Within 11 hours, UTMB officials organized, conducted and managed one of the largest hospital evacuations in U.S. history, moving 427 patients off-island and then returning them without loss of life. Several hundred staff were also airlifted to safety following the evacuation of patients.
According to Asa Hutchinson, NCSC chairman, governments need local community partners in order to respond to national or large regional crises, whether caused by terrorism or nature, and the evacuation and work done by UTMB since Hurricane Rita is a large institution best practice baseline model for other communities.
Sexton accepted the award on behalf of UTMB at a ceremony held in Washington, D.C., in December.