Dorchester General Hospital Evacuated Due To Wind & Water Damage

CAMBRIDGE, Md. (WJZ/DORCHESTER GENERAL HOSPITAL) -- Dorchester General Hospital in Cambridge was evacuated due to wind and water damage sustained overnight during Hurricane Irene.

The emergency department at DGH is closed immediately. Approximately 30 patients who are currently hospitalized at DGH are being transferred by ambulance to the Memorial Hospital at Easton. Patients in the behavioral health unit are being transferred to Eastern Shore Hospital Center in Cambridge.

Anyone who has a medical emergency should call 911 for assistance. Dorchester County EMS personnel will determine the appropriate location for emergency care.

Anyone who has a surgery scheduled at DGH on Monday, Aug. 29 will be contacted by the hospital with information about when and where their procedure will be rescheduled.

Employees scheduled to work at DGH on Monday, Aug. 29 should immediately contact their supervisor for instructions about where and when to report to work.

The decision to close DGH was made when serious damage to the laboratory roof made it necessary to close the lab. Other damage at the hospital includes the operating rooms, central supply, some patient rooms and the chemotherapy unit.

Plans are being made to begin repairs at DGH immediately. It is anticipated that the hospital will reopen in two to three days.

"Our first priority is patient and staff safety," says Jerry Walsh, interim CEO for Shore Health System. "We thank our employees and physicians who have weathered the storm to ensure that we have been able to maintain patient care. Communications between our hospitals and our community partners is ongoing so that we can continue to sustain services while we assess the damages and make repairs to DGH."