When an ice storm blew through parts of the Southeast, most people in southern Alabama waited out the inclement weather in their homes. Others continued working despite the storm.
Among those working was University of South Alabama College of Medicine Chair of Neurosurgery Dr. Anthony Martino. He arrived to work at USA Medical Center on Monday, Jan. 27, when the ice storm was still a distant thought in many people’s minds.
With that Monday and Tuesday full of scheduled surgeries, Dr. Martino decided that staying at the hospital would be the wiser choice, considering the ice and sleet that forecasters predicted would fall on the Mobile area.
“I was on call, so I stayed. I didn’t want to risk traveling in those conditions,” he said.
Monday night, Dr. Martino slept in a neuromonitoring unit and traveled to USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital, where he would stay Tuesday through Thursday morning. He would not return to his home until Thursday, Jan. 30.
Hospital staff members, away from their own families during the storm, showed great care for patients, Dr. Martino said.
“Everyone was very dedicated and showed their commitment to the system and their patients,” he said. “They prioritized taking care of patients and everything followed suit. That’s what it should have been.”
