ML20081E247

Affidavit of B Cohen Re Evacuation of Advanced Life Support Patients

ML20081E247
Person / Time
Site:	Seabrook
Issue date:	07/31/1990
From:	Cohen B AMESBURY HOSP., AMESBURY, MA
To:
Shared Package
ML20081E239	List: ML20081E234 ML20081E240 ML20081E243 ML20081E247 ML20081E251
References
OL, NUDOCS 9008070292
Download: ML20081E247 (3)

Text

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

Ivan W. Smith, Chairman l Dr. Richard F. Cole l Kenneth A. McCollom

)

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

) 50-444-OL PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY )

OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, ET AL. )

)

(Scabrook Station, Units 1 and 2) ) July 31, 1990

) ,

AFFIDAVIT OF BETSY COHEN I, Betsy Cohen hereby deposo and state as follows:

1. I am the Assistant Administrator of Amesbury Hospital.

i As such, I am familiar with the facts and circumstances that form the basis for the statements contained herein.

2. Amosbury Hospital is a 59 bod hospital located in Amesbury, Massachusetts. It usually has an 80 to 100%

occupancy rate. Approximately 70% of the patients in the hospital are over age 65.

3. If one definos an advanced life support ( ALS) patient as an individual who requires external life support equipment

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or one who may require rapid medical attention to survive, the average daily wo-ekday consus of ALS patients at Amesbury Hospital is seven. Those ASL patients would be those patients l

in our intensive-care unit and immediate post-op patients.

1 9008070292 900731 PDR ADOCK 05000443 0 pon

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4. I estimate that it would take approximately 35 to 40 minutes to prepare and load an AIS patient into an ambulance.  !

Approximately 20 minutes of that time would be comprised of l putting together the paper work for the patient including the ,

patient's medical records and chart. The rest of the time l

would be comprised of detaching the patient from in-hospital 1 life support equipment, putting them on portable life support equipment, loading them onto an ambulance stretcher, {

transporting the stretcher through the hospital, and loading l the stretcher with the portable life support equipment into the ambulance.

5. The 35 to 40 minute time period for preparing and loading an ALS patient could be reduced by advanced preparation of the patient's paper work. That would reduce the 35 to 40 minute preparation and loading time to approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Apart from the advance preparation of a patient's paper work, in many, if not most, instances it would probably not be medically appropriate to prepare an ALS patient at an earlier initiating point.

6. Amesbury llospital can accommodate the loading of four ambulances at one time.

7. My time estimate for preparing and loading ALS patients into ambulances described in paragraph five is promised upon  !

l having normal 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. weekday shift staffing.

l During evening night and weekend shifts the staffing at the hospital is significantly reduced. Because elective surgery is not performed on weekends there may be a couple of fewer ALS 1

patients in the hospitals on the Wookonds. For evening and night-timo Wookday shif ts, the number of ALS patients remains at approximately seven. The reduced staffing on all shifts other than wookday 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. would increase the time to prepare and load an ALS patient into an ambulance by approximately an hour to an hour and a half. Again, only the 20 minutos of time allocable to putting the patient's paper work together could be dono ahead of time.

8. While the hospital does have a disastor plan that allows for calling in additional staff, the number of staff expected to respond to such a call would not mako a significant impact on the estimatos provided above.

9. On addressing the issues discussed above, I have consulted with Patricia Downer, R.N. , Director of Nursing at Amesbury Hospital, and she concurs with me in the statomonts provided.

Signed and sworn to under the pains and penalties of perjury this 2/ day of July,1990.

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Botsy Cohen Essex County '51 July TO 1925n t hfff! '

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