How did your hospital handle September 11th?

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

With Joint Commission's emphasis on disaster response, I was just wondering how your facilities handled 9/11? Did they turn off the television to the rooms? Did your phone systems lock up with the flood of calls? How did staff handle it?

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Slightly off topic, but I had to add.....

I was not yet in the medical field on 9/11, but I was scheduled for a lap-chole that day. I checked in at 11:00, after watching all of the images in TV all morning. I told the registration clerk that I didn't think it was a good day for surgery, she said "no day is a good day for surgery". I was very nervous in pre-op, wondering what was going to happen while I was "out" and what would I wake up to. War? Chaos? The nurse, while very kind, pretty much said the same thing. When I asked her if she had heard what was going on, she replied "oh, there is always something going on". Honestly, in retrospect, I think that the nurses and staff that I encountered were busy, just like every day, and did not yet know what was going on (or hadn't heard much more than little tidbits). Now that I work in a hospital, I see first hand how one can get so busy that you really feel disconnected to the outside world.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

It was pretty much business as usual here in St. Pete. Everyone was shocked, lots of phone calls between family members. TVs were allowed to be left on. One staff member had to be let go because her sister and uncle actually worked in the building (they got out) and she was a wreck.

I'm not sure what behind the scenes disaster planning was going on though. We all felt pretty helpless that day and were in shock.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I work near a large military base and our whole region was on alert both for additional attacks and also to be deployed to deal with whatever situation would develop.

While we didn't call extra staff in, we called each staff member, checked on their status, and asked that they pack a bag and be ready to come in if needed -- similar to what we would do for any other disaster or weather emergency.

We encouraged "extra" visitors to go home and similarly make plans to deal with whatever was coming -- though visitors were not forced to leave.

In short -- while the business of health care went on "as usual," the leadership team implemented the first stages of our disaster plan by putting everyone on alert. I spent the day on the phone talking with staff, keeping them up to date on the hospital news and getting updated information on their status. Over the next several months, many of our staff and patient families were deployed and/or had their military work/careers altered by the situation. Staff who were also in the Reserves needed to be replaced, etc. As mine is a military community, the "response process" had a significant impact on us immediately and over the next several months.

... and of course, everyone had to deal with the emotional impact of the events.

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Specializes in ER.

We did nothing. People snuck to the TV room on their breaks.

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I have actually searched this site for the posts from september 11, 2001. Can anyone provide a link for that forum? I would like to read initial responses from that world event. Thanks.

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Specializes in ICU/ER.
I have actually searched this site for the posts from september 11, 2001. Can anyone provide a link for that forum? I would like to read initial responses from that world event. Thanks.

I would like to read those old postings as well---maybe the mods can work on that and have some sort of tribute in September and bring those posts back up.

I was not in the medical field then,I was home with a toddler whose Barney tape happened to end and Good Morning AMerica came on showing the plane going into the tower. I thought it was a joke at 1st. I couldnt belive it.

I am too young to have lived when JFK was killed, I was though a 5th grader who watched the space shuttle challenger blow up with a teacher on board. Sept 11th is a day that has changed all of our lives.

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.
I would like to read those old postings as well---maybe the mods can work on that and have some sort of tribute in September and bring those posts back up.

I was not in the medical field then,I was home with a toddler whose Barney tape happened to end and Good Morning AMerica came on showing the plane going into the tower. I thought it was a joke at 1st. I couldnt belive it.

I am too young to have lived when JFK was killed, I was though a 5th grader who watched the space shuttle challenger blow up with a teacher on board. Sept 11th is a day that has changed all of our lives.

I have done a little search and here is what I have found.

At war

8 hours away

Americas suffering

Search for World Trade Centre date: Sept 11th 2001

Hope it is what you are looking for

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

The Current Events Forum has a lot of posts from that era, they are starting to drop off as the lastest posts are from Sept. 13th.

https://allnurses.com/forums/f112/index262.html

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My daughter was born on September 8th, 2001. I had a C-section so I was still in the hospital. She was in the NICU. I can remember the Dr. coming in during morning rounds and looking at the TV. He said "I've been there". This was before we knew it was a terrorist attack. As the horrible day went on and we learned what happened, I was stunned and scared. The nurses in the NICU went on with their normal day...but we all felt worried. We were in downtown Austin, TX. You never know what can happen. I WILL NEVER FORGET.:bluecry1:

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