[pickledpepperRN]

Burn unit at UCSD Medical Center handling all fire patients

The burn unit at UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest, the only such unit in the county, has received all of the region's seriously burned patients from the wildfires over the last two days.

As of Tuesday morning, the 18-bed unit was still full but the center can use other intensive care beds. "I can take 100 more if I need to. We have beds and ventilators and everything that we need," said Dr. Raul Coimbra, UCSD chief of trauma, surgical critical care and burns. Doctors and nurses were treating treating 16 fire victims and several patients with injuries not related to the blazes.

The burn victims included five firefighters, three of whom were in critical condition, one in fair and one in good condition. There were five civilians in critical condition, four in fair condition, one in good condition and one recent admission whose condition was not yet disclosed.

Like most major hospitals around the county, UCSD canceled elective procedures for the rest of the week to make way for an expected stream of patients with respiratory problems or other fire-related injuries….

http://www.calnurses.org/media-cente...412412&print=t

[pickledpepperRN]

Pomerado, Fallbrook hospitals evacuated due to fires

At least two local hospitals ---- Pomerado Hospital in Poway and Fallbrook Hospital in Fallbrook ---- scrambled Monday to get their patients out of harm's way, moving them to other healthcare facilities as raging flames threatened surrounding communities.

Meanwhile, hospitals throughout San Diego County worked to absorb the displaced patients, calling in extra staff members and moving back non-urgent surgeries to free resources for emergency care….

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007...1710_22_07.txt

[sanctuary]

Yeah, have family in the area, only one had to evac, but many friends and ex-coworkers have been burned out. So very sad.

[pickledpepperRN]

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee has sent volunteer registered nurses through its Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN) to Southern California to assist in responding to the spreading disaster created by wildfires in the region.

Two contingents of volunteer RNs were deployed to shelters in San Diego County in response to an appeal from the San Diego Emergency Medical Services agency and RNRN’s own needs assessments done by staff in the field. The nurses are currently staffing the Faith Chapel, near the Harris fire located in Spring Valley, which is home to 100 evacuees and their pets and “The Rock” a mega church and one of the main evacuation shelters where many patients from skilled nursing facilities were relocated.

Christina Talley and Deborah Morgan, RNRN volunteers staffing the Faith Chapel shelter, are both emergency room RNs and sisters who work at Hemet Valley Hospital.

They are not new to disaster relief. Both were deployed by CNA to New Orleans, seven weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region and created their own clinic out of a shipping container in City Park. Twelve years ago they drove down to Northridge Hospital after the earthquake and set up a makeshift emergency room in their family’s motor home and also volunteered during the Cedar’s firestorm that occurred four years ago today.

“We are concerned that patient needs continue to be evaluated once the cameras go away and the news disappears from the front pages,” said Talley...

http://www.calnurses.org/media-cente...s.html?print=t

RNRN - http://www.calnurses.org/rnrn/