ML20081E243

Affidavit of a Desrosiers Re Evacuation of Advanced Life Support Patients

ML20081E243
Person / Time
Site:	Seabrook
Issue date:	07/31/1990
From:	Desrosiers A ANNA JAQUES HOSP., NEWBURYPORT, MA
To:
Shared Package
ML20081E239	List: ML20081E234 ML20081E240 ML20081E243 ML20081E247 ML20081E251
References
OL, NUDOCS 9008070289
Download: ML20081E243 (5)

Text

--- -

l

. )

I UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD Before the Administrative Judges:

)

Ivan W. Smith, Chainnan Dr. Richard F. Cole Kenneth A. McCollem 1

)

In the Matter of ) Docket Nos. 50-443-OL

) 50-444-OL  !

PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY )

0F NEW HAMPSHIRE, ET Mr. ) i

)

(Sei wR Station, Units 1 and 2) ) July 31, 1990

_, )

M.f,1R1LYJT_0LMJAN DES ROLIEEE I, Allan DesRosiers depose and state the following: I l

1. I am President of Anna Jaques Hospital. As such, I am faallia.r with the facts and circumstances set forth in this 1 1

affidavit. Anna Jaques is a 156 bed hospital located in  ;

Newburyport, Massachusetts. It usually has no more than 121 1

-beds occupied.

2. If one defines advance life support (ALS) patients as that term is defined in the affidavit of Dr. Donovan Albertson, Director of the Dopartment of Emergency Medicino and Chairman of the Dis; aster Committoo for Portsmouth Regional Hospital, dated June 25, 1990, Anna Jaques usually has 43 AIA patients during the summor months. (In his affidavit, Dr. Albertson 9000070D09 900731

=PDR ADOCK 0D000443 0 PDR

-^

definan an ALS patient as "an individual who requires external life support equipment or who although stable may require rapid medical support to survivo) . Support equipment uy includo a combination of respirators, ventilators, multiple intravenous lines, and an oxygen supply. ALS patients are transported by ,

ambulance. Examples of ALS patients include individuals in the Intensive Caro Unit, the Operating Room /Rocovery Room, and patients in activo Inbor.") The ALS censun at Anna Jaques would vary some in tho winter months. Those 43 would typically include approximately 8 patients from the intensive care unit, approximately 20-25 post operative patients, approximately 8 '

monitored cardiac IV patients in tho intermediato care unit, approximately 5 women in activo labor, and approximately two retro-transfer newborna. The retro-transfer nowborns are typically babica of familion from the Newburyport area who have had a significant medical problem requiring treatment at a ,

major hospital in Boston , but have stabilized to the point that they can be roturned to a medical facility closer to their families.

3. Assuming the normal staffing levels such as would exist on a weekday 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and assuming those staffing levels are availabic in the event of an omorgency at seabrook Station, I anticipate that it would take approximately ninety to a hundred and twenty ninutes to prepare and load an ALS patient in an ambulance. That period of. time would be unod i

l in performing the followlng activities a.) mobilizing support l

{

personnel and equipment and gathering the patient's medical records and medications; b.) disconnecting the patient from the hospital's life support equipncnt and reconnecting the patient to portable equipment; (Anna Jaques does not have portable equipment and if none was available through local suppliers at that time, an RNs would have to accompany those ALS pationts who could be maintained without life support equipment, in order to care for those patients. This would diminish the nursing staff available to facilitate the transfer of patients and potentially increase the time it would take to prepare and lo; A and ALS patient.); c.) waiting for the patient's condition to stabilizo on the portable life support equipment and placing the patient onto a stretcher beside the hospital bod; d.)

physically moving the pationt from the hospital room and loading him/her into the ambulance. That period of time could be reduced by approximately thirty minutos by advance preparation before the ambulance arrives. That thirty minute reduction would primarily be attributable to putting together the patients paper work and gathering necessary medications ahead of time. In most instances it would not be medically appropriate to prepare an Als patient at an earlier initiating condition other than to prepare the paper work and medications.

4. At all times other than Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m.

to 3:00 p.m., the hospital han substantially reduced staff.

That reduced staffing icvel would significantly. impact the amount of tino that it would take to prepara and load AIS '

f)A -

f 1

patients. During the day time, additional non-nursing staf f I l

may be available to perform a variety of tasks including paper l worx, responding to the phone, and assisting with ambulatory patients. However, at night those tasks would be left to the reduced staff comprised largely of nursing staff personnel.

)

Among the nursing staff that is on at night, there are fower i registered nursos (RNs) present. Since only RNs are authorized l to perform certain medical activities, the limited number of RMs compounds the problem posed by a gonorally reduced staf fing l

level. Becauco of the reduced staffing lovels, I anticipate it would take approximately sixty minutes longor to preparo ALS patients during evening and night timo shif ts. This estinato is accurate annuming the anticipated staffing levels on the shif ts referred to in this paragraph are available in the event of an emergency at Seabrook Station.

5. Although as part of the hospital's disaster plan, there is a call in proceduro to summon additional staff, it is anticipated that the call-in procedure would not impact or reduce the additional sixty minutes that it would take to prepare and load ALs patients during evening and night time shifts.

6. If one used all available loading space, approximately six to eight ambulances could be loaded at one timo.

7. In addition to the loading of ALs patients in ambulances, approximately forty additional non-ambulatory 4-4

l l

patients who are not Als patients vould need to be loaded into ambulances or similar vehicles that would need to access the  ;

same space to be unod for loading Als ambulances, j

8. While there is likely to be some reduction in the ALS pationt census attributable to having fewor post-operative, out-patient and elective surgical patients at nights ar.d on weekends, that reduction in census would not substantially impact on the time estimates provided above. ,

9. The signing of this affidavit does not reprocent an endorsement or approval by Anna Jaquen Hospital of any evacuation plan developed by the Stato of New Hapchire or Now Hampshire Yankee. Wo will use the judgment of all professionals involved and availabic from all authorition to ,

make a decision about the best care of our pationts in the event of an emergency at Soabrook Station. We will comport, to the extent we believo appropriato, with any applicable evacuation plans on an as nooded basis depending on the actual circumstances of any individual emergoney.

10. In addressing tho issues discussed above, I have l

consulted with John Guidy a, Executivo Vice Presidont and I

Deborah Blanchetto, Assistant Vice presidont for Patient care, I

l and they concur with no in the statomonts provided.

4L A ~

Allan DesRosifrs Essex County / Massachunotts July , 1990 M

Subscribed and sworn to before no thin Shay or auly,1990.

hrflU\ . 0 bonr1 t' Y

"" .,- ep s gu-

. . . _ . _. - - . - . . . - . .