As much of Mobile came to a halt with the arrival of last week’s winter storm, the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute (MCI) had to make a critical decision to temporarily shut down its operations.
“Out of concern for the safety of our patients and staff, we felt it was necessary to close the Mitchell Cancer Institute during the storm,” said Mary Lou Bowers, associate director for MCI Operations and Finance.
MCI closed Tuesday at 1 p.m. and planned to reopen Thursday under regular hours. Due to lingering hazardous road conditions, however, MCI, along with USA Physicians Group Clinics, delayed opening until 1 p.m. Thursday.
Making the decision to close was difficult for MCI. Patients understand having a full dose of chemotherapy on time will give the best results in treatment regimens. Treatment schedules may vary due to many factors, including patient condition and blood counts, or in this week’s case, a winter storm.
“At first, the patients were nervous about rescheduling,” said Lynn Collins, R.N., supervisor of infusion, “but when we assured them that treatments would be rescheduled within 24 to 48 hours they felt better. Our patients have had great attitudes throughout.”
Some patients receive an infusion pump to take home as part of chemotherapy. An infusion pump is a device that gives patients gradual doses of chemotherapy. Due to the storm, however, patients were unable to return to remove the pump as they normally would.
Cancer treatment can be a tremendous strain on patients. MCI staff went out of their way to put patients at ease. The staff typed instructions and taught patients how to turn the pump off and what to do at home. “Patients did very well and were proud of themselves,” Collins said.
MCI had 53 appointments Friday, compared to an average of 35 to 40. Many of the staff at MCI volunteered to work extra hours to help with the appointments as well as rescheduling. During the closings, staff called patients from home to notify them that their appointments would be rescheduled.
“Our staff did a tremendous job rescheduling our patients, especially those needing critical treatment,” Bowers said.
“The staff had very good attitudes and were willing to work extra hours at home and at MCI,” Collins said. “They divided the load and made it easier. They had the patients in mind.”
Despite MCI closing and the precarious road conditions, the winter storm didn’t keep Dr. Rod Rocconi and Dr. Jennifer Scalici from their patients. Dr. Rocconi used his four-wheel drive vehicle to pick up Dr. Scalici so they could perform a critical surgery.
Overall, staff and patients alike contributed and helped each other weather the storm. The extra effort and great attitudes of all are making the rescheduling smoother. “We feel good about how our staff wanted to ensure that patients were the highest priority even during the period of time we closed,” Bowers said.
