A severe winter weather system swept through many parts of the Midwest and East Coast on Dec. 29, forcing some hospitals to limit services amid the storms.
“An intense cyclone is currently in progress across the northern tier of the country,” the National Weather Service said in a Dec. 29 alert. The expansive system is expected to bring heavy snow and blizzard conditions to the upper Midwest and Great Lakes, freezing rain in New England and significant thunderstorms and winds throughout the eastern and southern U.S.
As of the afternoon of Dec. 28, more than 8 million people were under winter storm warnings, and nearly 2 million people were under blizzard warnings, according to NPR.
Storm conditions have already disrupted hospital operations across affected regions. In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, several health systems have temporarily closed outpatient sites due to blizzard conditions. Munising (Mich.) Memorial Hospital closed its rural health clinic, Bay Care Medical Center, on Dec. 26 and Dec. 29, and is rescheduling appointments for all affected patients.
UP Health System-Marquette (Mich.), UP Health System-Bell in Ishpeming, Mich., and OSF St. Francis Hospital in Escanaba, Mich., also closed outpatient clinics Dec. 29, according to their Facebook pages.
Outside the Lower 48, Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, Alaska, canceled elective surgeries and in-person outpatient appointments — with the exception of infusion services — citing hazardous winter weather conditions.
Hospitals in affected areas should prepare for continued weather-related disruptions, as lake-effect snow and subzero wind chills are expected to persist through Dec. 31, according to NWS.
