HJBR Nov/Dec 2023

58 NOV / DEC 2023  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Hospital Rounds said Kuo. “Ochsner Medical Center-NewOrleans – well with existing filtration system that will be able to maintain normal operations including patient care and HVAC; Ochsner Medical Center-Baptist – well does not have existing filtration system (water not currently potable). External R/O system has been procured for this well; Ochsner Medical Cen- ter-Kenner —well does not have existing filtration system (water not currently potable). External R/O system has been procured for this well. We will use a combination of well water, water trucks and bot- tled water if supplemental mitigation efforts are needed and for locations without well systems. “Over time, elevated salinity levels can affect the performance and accuracy of many medical devices and appliances. We will use a combina- tion of reverse osmosis (R/O) filtration systems, well water, water trucks, and bottled water to ensure our devices are not damaged. Water for lab instruments, steam sterilization, and dialysis already goes through a thorough filtration pro- cess, so it will continue as normal. “Salt is a mineral with some benefits to the human body; however, when consumed in excess there are significant health concerns. Most peo- ple will know to stop drinking water simply based on taste. This should happen well before there is a danger to your health or significant impact on your body’s ability to address the increased salt intake. If you do consume a large amount of salt, you may experience symptoms of dehydra- tion such as dry mouth, infrequent urination, dizzi- ness, and fatigue. More severe symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and hallucinations. Most at risk are: people with pre-existing heart conditions or high blood pressure who are likely on a low sodium diet as counseled by their physician; those who suffer from kidney or liver disease; pregnant women (especially in third trimester); infants; dial- ysis patients. Excessive salt intake can exacerbate pre-existing heart conditions and kidney disease.” Is there a solution? HCJ asked Mark Davis, who is a research professor at Tulane University Law School and director of the Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy at the Law School. “I would suggest we take a really hard look at how we want to administer our drinking water to people and how we want to provide impor- tant process water to industries that don’t work with salt water,” Davis said. “It could be as simple NewOrleans Area Hospitals Preparing for Saltwater Intrusion from theMississippi River By HJBR Staff Writer The perpetual dance between the Gulf of Mex- ico and the mighty Mississippi River has shifted upstream. The pivot, brought on by drought con- ditions in the Mississippi Valley and river dredg- ing, has allowed the Gulf and its saltwater to head toward New Orleans and is expected to impact municipal drinking water and industrial water sup- plies in the next few weeks. A Federal Emergency was declared Sept. 20 for Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Ber- nard Parishes. These parishes are dependent on fresh water from the Mississippi River for potable water; salt water can be unsafe to consume, so humans, animals, and plants will be affected as well as mechanical systems that will not operate with saltwater. Healthcare Journals reached out to New Orleans’ two largest healthcare systems, LCMC and Ochsner, as both systems were preparing for the event, which, according to the Army Corps of Engineers, in early October, was estimated to hit these locations on the following dates: • Oct. 13, Belle Chasse. • Oct. 15, Dalcour. • Oct. 19, St. Bernard. • Oct. 22, New Orleans, Algiers. • Oct. 24, Gretna. • Oct. 25, West Jefferson. • Oct. 28, New Orleans, Carrolton. • Oct. 29, East Jefferson. The Corps of Engineers has since revised these estimates, and at the time of press the chloride level is not expected to exceed 250ppm North of Bell Chasse. Hopefully sparing most of the New Orleans metro area. As area hospitals were preparing for the event, Jeffrey Kuo, MD, system medical director for emergency management and preparedness at Ochsner Health, explained some of the poten- tial dangers, “When salt concentration is high or beyond what our bodies are accustomed to han- dling, our kidneys, or our natural filtration sys- tem, need to work harder and may result in an imbalance of water and electrolytes in our cells. The health effects of drinking saltwater have been found to exacerbate underlying medical conditions such as heart and kidney disease and be associated with diarrhea and abdominal pain.” Jeffrey Elder, MD, associate chief medical officer for emergency management with LCMC, stressed, “Individuals at risk for exposure to high levels of sodium and chloride in drinking water should dis- cuss specific concerns with their healthcare pro- vider. Dialysis providers have also been in commu- nication with regional emergency preparedness departments and have plans to continue to pro- vide dialysis services.” Ochsner’s Emergency Management and Com- munity Affairs teams have been coordinating with local, parish, and state officials. They also initiated daily emergency operations huddles in mid-Sep- tember. These huddles include representatives from Infection Control, Supply Chain, Emergency Management, Facilities, Emergency Medical Ser- vices, Human Resources, Government Relations and Community Outreach, Security, Lab, and Communications. Supply Chain teams are assessing water needs and ordered stock, including primary and sec- ondary sources of potable water. Building needs were assessed. All inpatient locations and sur- gery centers in the Greater New Orleans region were planned to be equipped with reverse osmo- sis (R/O) filtration systems allowing operations to proceed as normal. LCMC Health’s major concern is a desalinated water source that will allow continued patients care. While bottled drinking water can be utilized for patient and food preparation needs, a desali- nated supply of water is needed to allow HVAC and sensitive equipment to function. Those plans will allow for LCMC hospitals to continue provid- ing uninterrupted emergency medical care to patients during a potential saltwater event. “LCMC Health has wells onsite at all hospitals with the exception Lakeside Hospital and New Orleans East Hospital. University Medical Center utilizes an offsite well for HVAC facility needs and has the ability to store water onsite,” said Elder. “Depending on the location, they have different processes for emergency water to meet the needs of the facility. We will utilize the domestic water supply to provide water during this incident with filtering and reverse osmosis performed on site at the hospital.” “Ochsner has water wells at three locations,”