Case Study: Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas safeguards patient safety and coordinates 200+ transfers during Hurricane Harvey with MEDHOST

Emergency Preparedness Shelters Patient Safety from the Storm

Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas, a high-volume acute care system with 400+ licensed beds in Beaumont, faced catastrophic flooding during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 that left the city without potable water and forced a full hospital evacuation while also serving as a community shelter. The crisis put hundreds of patients — including 14 NICU infants — at risk and created urgent needs for coordinated transfers, family communication, and reliable clinical data access under chaotic, rapidly changing conditions.

MEDHOST supported Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas by providing its EHR and EDIS solutions and built-in HIE capabilities to maintain a stable health records database, generate patient lists, and transmit full records to receiving facilities. Over a critical 48-hour period MEDHOST-enabled teams coordinated transfers for 200+ patients, supported a call center to help relatives locate loved ones, and ensured safer handoffs — measurable results that helped preserve patient safety and operational control during the disaster.

Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas

Mary Poole

Director of Public Relations