A Visit to the Emergency Room
By Lorna Benson
May 6, 1997

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Grand Forks' only hospital is slowly beginning to provide care again. United Hospital was completely shut down for two weeks during the height of the Red River flooding. Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson visited the emergency room, which is the first area of the hospital to begin seeing patients again.

I HAVE A SORE THROAT, SO I'M GONNA SEE THE DOCTOR.

Joy Jordheim sits patiently with her mother, Pat, while she waits for medicine to cure a possible case of strep throat. Joy has been sick for five days, but her mother didn't take her to the doctor right away because it has been a major hassle getting medical care in Grand Forks.

THAT'S WHY WE WAITED SO LONG. I THOUGHT IT WAS A COLD, SO IT WOULD GO AWAY. BUT AFTER SO LONG YOU HAVE TO GO FIND HELP.

The Jorheim's are like countless other North Dakotans who have simply made do with less during the flooding. Flood victims have been ignoring minor cuts, colds, and other conditions rather than struggling to find a clinic, hospital, or doctor.

The search for medical care is easing somewhat now that United Hospital has re-opened its emergency room and added a few clinical units to handle routine illness. But Pat Jordheim says it's still hard to find your regular doctor.

I HAD CALLED VALLEY MEDICAL TO FIND OUT WHERE I COULD FIND MY DOCTOR AND THEY GAVE ME THE COMMAND CENTER AND THE COMMAND CENTER SENT ME TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM, AND THAT'S HOW I GOT HERE. IT'S A RUN AROUND. I MEAN VERY NICE PEOPLE, BUT YOU GO AROUND, TO GET WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.

Conditions at United are still far from perfect. The hospital has been essentially shut down since April 19, when the National Guard air evacuated 197 patients in a dramatic helicopter rescue.

Medical staff did not get much of a rest, though. Many were quickly dispatched to the Grand Forks Air Force Base where United set up a temporary hospital. Nurse Lydia Mandel, who normally takes care of four to five patients a day, says the air base hospital really tested her abilities:

I CAME INTO A ROOM IN THE MORNING AND GOT A REPORT ON 59 PATIENTS, AND ALL THE DIABETICS HAD BIG RED X'S MARKED ON THEIR HANDS. AND THEN YOU WENT AROUND TO CHECK IF THEY HAD THEIR MEDICATIONS, HAD THEIR INSULIN, HAD THEIR BLOOD SUGAR CHECKED, AND GOT THEM THEIR BREAKFAST, AND TRYING TO KEEP THE ONES CALM WHO WERE UPSET. BUT REALLY IT WAS AMAZING HOW WELL THE PATIENTS TOOK IT.

In contrast to the bustling atmosphere of the Air Base Hospital, United is virtually silent. The facility did not succumb to the Red River, but it did lose its water and sewer functions which still have not been restored. Spokeswoman Patricia Lazarrus says even though the emergency room is now open, the rest of the hospital is an eerie place.

WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW IS WE'RE TRYING TO GET READY FOR THE TIME WHEN WE OPEN, SO YOU'LL HEAR CLEANING STUFF. UM, THIS IS THE FAMILY BIRTHING CENTER WHICH IS USUALLY FULL OF PEOPLE HAVING BABIES, AND UM IT'S VERY WEIRD. IT'S TOTALLY EMPTY.

Most of the hospital will likely remain empty for another two or three weeks. In the meantime, there is plenty of work to do in the e.r., and lots to chat about.

PHONE RINGING...

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, LORI ....

NURSE: IT'S NURSES' DAY. HAPPY NURSES' DAY.

LAZARRUS: OH HAPPY NURSES' DAY!

NURSE: YEAH, THIS IS THE WEEK I USUALLY HAVE THAT BIG CELEBRATION YOU KNOW.

LAZARRUS: THAT'S RIGHT!

NURSE: HELL OF A WAY TO GET OUT OF IT. (LAUGHS) ANYWAY I BROUGHT CAKE FOR THOSE OF US THAT ARE WORKIN' LATE TODAY.

LAZARRUS: THAT'S VERY SWEET, THAT'S REALLY NICE.

NURSE: SOMEBODY'S GOTTA HOLD THE FORT DOWN.

LAZARRUS: HOW DID YOU MAKE A CAKE? IS YOUR HOUSE OKAY?

NURSE: I'M ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE, SO I'M OKAY.

BOTH LAUGH.

Lazarrus teases the nurse who is suffering from what she calls "survivor's guilt,"meaning her home survived the flood, while others lost everything.

Switchboard operator Donna Sunbee spent her first day back on the job catching up on the fates of her colleagues' homes. Sunbee says many employees, including herself, are still discussing the flood in utter amazement

WHEN UNITED HOSPITAL SHUT DOWN, THAT WAS THE LIVING END. I JUST COULD NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING COULD EVER SHUT DOWN UNITED HOSPITAL BECAUSE IT RUNS LIKE A CITY OF ITS OWN. I MEAN YOU CAN BE BORN HERE, YOU CAN DIE HERE AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN AND IT ALL STOPPED, DEAD. THAT'S WHEN I KNEW WE WERE REALLY IN TROUBLE IN THIS TOWN.

Doctors at United Hospital warn the worst medical crisis may be to come in the weeks ahead as people begin the cleanup of their homes in earnest. The hospital has been overwhelmed by phone calls from people who have accidentally consumed contaminated flood water. And in the few days since the emergency room re-opened, the hospital has seen several hundred patients, many with lacerations, bumps and bruises from cleanup injuries.

Return to Flood of 1997.