14 Hours: new TV Movie on 4/3/05, 8PM dealing w/ Hermann Hospital Flood & Evacuation

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14 Hours: new TV Movie on 4/3/05, 8PM dealing with mistreatment of nurses by doctors

New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com

Rick: What's up, doc?

By MARISA GUTHRIE

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Saturday, March 26th, 2005

Rick Schroder wants to be Mr. Nice Guy.

His "NYPD Blue" character self-destructed in a hazy spiral of booze and strippers. And in the TNT movie "14 Hours" - premiering April 3 at 8 p.m. - he plays an egotistical surgeon who treats the nursing staff like the hired help.

"I'd prefer not to play a jerk," said Schroder. "But if he starts out a jerk and ends up a good guy, I can live with that."

"14 Hours" is based on the devastating events surrounding Tropical Storm Allison, the 2001 storm that dumped 30 inches of rain on Houston over a 14-hour period. Schroder's Dr. Foster is the attending surgeon at Memorial Hermann Hospital, where the storm has flooded the hospital's generators, knocking out power and putting critical patients in peril. Kris Kristofferson co-stars as the city's emergency management chief, and JoBeth Williams plays the nurse Schroder takes on.

"He's arrogant," said Schroder of his character. "He's a surgeon. I understand surgeons are very confident people with healthy egos and that doesn't come off in a nice way sometimes."

In his first scene, Schroder's Foster cuts himself a huge wedge of cake, spoiling the confection for the intended recipient, one of Williams' nurses who is leaving the hospital for a new job.

"I've actually heard that from nurses," said Schroder, "that doctors are all ego. They're very arrogant. They're just not particularly kind. They're very selfinvolved."

But, said Schroder, he is eventually humbled by the situation.

"He changes and he learns the value of the nurses," he said. "They're the glue. They keep everything together."

Since leaving "NYPD Blue" in 2001 - Schroder credits the police drama for giving him an "adult career" - he has turned up in a slew of TV movies. Last year, he wrote and directed the feature "Black Cloud," a coming-of-age story about a troubled Navajo teenager who finds redemption in a boxing ring. The film has played at festivals, but Schroder is still working on getting it a wider release. "Making the movie was the easy part," he said.

He has also joined the cast of the Lifetime drama "Strong Medicine," which will start its sixth season in June. He'll direct some episodes of the show as well as a Lifetime TV movie.

In "Strong Medicine," which also stars Patricia Richardson and Janine Turner, Schroder will be the lone male member of a team of tough female physicians.

So will he have a better bedside manner in that series?

"Absolutely," he said, "I'm going to be Casanova over there."

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

hmmm. Not bad, but I only wish that there could be a story about nurses and ALL the problems we face and the real work that we do, not just one area such as pompous doctors. I wonder how much "nursing" we will really see in this movie?

Not all surgeons are jerks, but this movie unfortunately will reinforce and perpetuate that stereotype and will probably be the focus of the movie.

I don't know, maybe this will be a small step in the right direction for television's portrayal of nursing?

Thanks for the heads up. I will make myself a reminder on my DISH calendar!

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I suspect this show is not going to deal with the mistreatment of nurses by doctors as much as it's going to deal with the Doc learning how to get along in this world, in a crisis.

As usual, the nurses will just be there, unimportant, with maybe one tiny exception (all movies seem to have to have a hero and heroine).

It's unfortunate, but when Americans think of health care, they think of doctors; not those of us who actually make sure they get well and stay that way!

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Specializes in ER (new), Respitory/Med Surg floor.
I suspect this show is not going to deal with the mistreatment of nurses by doctors as much as it's going to deal with the Doc learning how to get along in this world, in a crisis.

As usual, the nurses will just be there, unimportant, with maybe one tiny exception (all movies seem to have to have a hero and heroine).

It's unfortunate, but when Americans think of health care, they think of doctors; not those of us who actually make sure they get well and stay that way!

I was thinking the same thing about shows and movies. I think a movie or show like ER but centered around either just nurses or everyone and not a tidbit like ER would be great. ONe of the dissapointments i felt about er is how abby was a great nurse and I loved her in that role and then they made her become a doctor like it was better and not that they are two different professions. Another thing i saw on strong medicine a doctor snapping at a nurse because the pt a woman felt weak and vss the doctor told the nurse he was sick of nurses desregarding other possible signs and symptoms of heartattack in women. Please! I was so annoyed the profession is not represented well at all!

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

From the press releases I've seen and flyers Johnson and Johnson gave out at the PA Nursing Gala I attended, nurses will be quite prominent and Main character is Jeanette Makins RN, played by JoBeth Williams---featured larger than others on card...will try and find picture to post.

Crossing Fingers and hoping for more but it is only being shown on TNT at present.

Synopsis:

"14 HOURS is based on the harrowing events of June 2001, when Tropical Storm Allison stalled over the Houston metropolitan area, pouring nearly 30 inches of rain on the city within a 14-hour period. The story begins as Allison seems to be moving away from Houston. Jeanette Makins (Williams), a nurse at Memorial Hermann Hospital, arrives ready for what she expects to be a normal day. But Allison's rains return, quickly turning a normal day into a nightmare. As floodwaters inundate the lower levels of the hospital, a brilliant young surgeon, Dr. Foster (Schroder), makes the decision to move the patients to safer ground, including a young couple whose premature baby is struggling for life, as well as a girl and her mother, severely hurt in a car accident. With the resourceful thinking of Chuck Whortle (Kristofferson), chief of Harris County Emergency Management, the hospital staff and volunteers race against the clock to get all patients to safety."

http://www.tnt.tv/title/display/0,,6619,00.html

Pictures:

http://www.tnt.tv/title/0,,608415,00.html

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From the press releases I've seen and flyers Johnson and Johnson gave out at the PA Nursing Gala I attended, nurses will be quite prominent and Main character is Jeanette Makins RN, played by JoBeth Williams---featured larger than others on card...will try and find picture to post.

Crossing Fingers and hoping for more but it is only being shown on TNT at present.

Synopsis:

"14 HOURS is based on the harrowing events of June 2001, when Tropical Storm Allison stalled over the Houston metropolitan area, pouring nearly 30 inches of rain on the city within a 14-hour period. The story begins as Allison seems to be moving away from Houston. Jeanette Makins (Williams), a nurse at Memorial Hermann Hospital, arrives ready for what she expects to be a normal day. But Allison's rains return, quickly turning a normal day into a nightmare. As floodwaters inundate the lower levels of the hospital, a brilliant young surgeon, Dr. Foster (Schroder), makes the decision to move the patients to safer ground, including a young couple whose premature baby is struggling for life, as well as a girl and her mother, severely hurt in a car accident. With the resourceful thinking of Chuck Whortle (Kristofferson), chief of Harris County Emergency Management, the hospital staff and volunteers race against the clock to get all patients to safety."

http://www.tnt.tv/title/display/0,,6619,00.html

Pictures:

http://www.tnt.tv/title/0,,608415,00.html

This movie is not about nurses, why should they be concerned about portraying nurses as anything? I think some nurses sometimes get so carried away with the need to look important that they start looking for approval and worthiness in places that just aren't important.

It is not important for any TV program to highlight us as we truly are, as long as they don't have us prancing around in shirts 2 sizes to small and 5 inch heals!

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Karen.....Why is it that you always have the answers? lol...Too darn smart for your own good !...lol

From the press releases I've seen and flyers Johnson and Johnson gave out at the PA Nursing Gala I attended, nurses will be quite prominent and Main character is Jeanette Makins RN, played by JoBeth Williams---featured larger than others on card...will try and find picture to post.

Crossing Fingers and hoping for more but it is only being shown on TNT at present.

Synopsis:

"14 HOURS is based on the harrowing events of June 2001, when Tropical Storm Allison stalled over the Houston metropolitan area, pouring nearly 30 inches of rain on the city within a 14-hour period. The story begins as Allison seems to be moving away from Houston. Jeanette Makins (Williams), a nurse at Memorial Hermann Hospital, arrives ready for what she expects to be a normal day. But Allison's rains return, quickly turning a normal day into a nightmare. As floodwaters inundate the lower levels of the hospital, a brilliant young surgeon, Dr. Foster (Schroder), makes the decision to move the patients to safer ground, including a young couple whose premature baby is struggling for life, as well as a girl and her mother, severely hurt in a car accident. With the resourceful thinking of Chuck Whortle (Kristofferson), chief of Harris County Emergency Management, the hospital staff and volunteers race against the clock to get all patients to safety."

http://www.tnt.tv/title/display/0,,6619,00.html

Pictures:

http://www.tnt.tv/title/0,,608415,00.html

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from the press releases i've seen and flyers johnson and johnson

since j&j already sponsors a web site to promote nursing, the fact that they are sponsoring this film is a hopeful sign.

nursefirst

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Education.

The most recent issue of NURSEWEEK gave the show a thumbs-up in regards to its portrayal of nurses.

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i kinda got the impression that the movie IS about nurses, in that it is about the response of a hospital to the tragedy, and you know no matter what it portrays that nurses were definitely a factor! t.

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i kinda got the impression that the movie IS about nurses, in that it is about the response of a hospital to the tragedy, and you know no matter what it portrays that nurses were definitely a factor! t.

You betcha! However, that doesn't mean the movie...can't wait to see it and find out! This whole conversation could be just rehashing the old "they never portray nurses corectly."... will portray how much nurses would actually (and in this case did) have to do with the scenario.

  • Could you imagine having to wait for the Docs to transport ALL of the patients anyplace? LOL What a mess, seems so many pts would still be in the room, unmoved hours later because the Doc couldn't figure out how to unlock the wheels on the bed!
  • Could you imagine a Doc putting one of their own pts aside to transport another Docs pts first?
  • It seems to me the movie, though what I've read is all about one specific ER Doc, will have to portray the nursing staff as nothing short of miraculous since it would be impossible for any of it to have been accomplished with just that one Doc.
  • Time and airing will tell. I just hope they don't portray just one group of nurses as being involved. I really hope they praise ALL, even the Docs!

Time for me to take a nap, I think I am getting a bit goofy. I hope the movie is all that I am hearing it is.....

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

see nursing spectrum article:

13833-1.jpg

photo by james dittinger.

as water cascades down the stairs, three nurses, including jobeth williams (center), rescue blood and patient records from a flooded hospital lab in 14 hours, tnt's johnson & johnson spotlight presentationsm, which premieres sunday, april 3, at 8 pm et/pt.

five stars for 14 hours-nurses take the lead in a tv movie

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