Winter Weather Advisory

Feb. 15, 2021 | 4:33 p.m.

From the Office of Roberta Schwartz:

We made it through the first day of our historic winter storm and we are bracing for continued cold weather and perhaps some additional precipitation. Thank you all for your dedication to our patients and making it into work despite the weather challenges. We appreciate your support as we continue this Code Gray weather event.

Tonight’s temperatures will be very cold, bringing us the coldest temperatures since at least 1989, and for some areas possibly much longer than that. Tomorrow, we anticipate that temperatures will climb above freezing for areas south of Interstate 10. Although the roads hopefully will be improving, we are in a continued challenging situation.

We have asked each of you to prepare to be here for your shift and prepare to stay. We want to give some further clarification on this point:

• If you are working the day shift right now and your replacement for tomorrow does not report to work by 7 p.m. please make plans to sleep overnight at your hospital. If you are scheduled to work tomorrow morning, please contact your manager to coordinate sleeping.
• The same goes for the night shift tonight. Please expect to sleep in your hospital tomorrow if necessary.
• If you are near the hospital and can get in to support our staff, please contact your labor pool or management to help those areas in need.
• If you are sleeping in house, please remember to bring all your needed supplies, including linens, medications, bedding, toiletries and snacks.

We will assess the weather in the morning, and we will keep you posted. All pay decisions will be determined in this pay period.

As was the case today, the majority of elective cases will be canceled and rescheduled tomorrow along with most outpatient imaging, therapy, infusion and other areas.  In addition, most physician practices will continue to encourage virtual visits.  All COVID-19 vaccinations for Tuesday have been canceled and moved.

To check on safe routes, you can monitor roadway conditions via Houston Transtar or find updated information on services from METRO.

All staff who can work virtually should continue their work from home, and staff who are not physically or virtually working tomorrow will be expected to use PTO.

We will continue to monitor this weather situation and communicate with you as necessary. Space City Weather is a good resource for weather information. We appreciate you all!

Feb. 14, 2021 | 2:00 p.m.

You should have heard from your department manager about your unit’s expectations during this winter weather event. If you have not heard anything, please reach out to them for direction.

If you are expected to come into work, we ask that you bring:

• Your own bedding, as this will not be provided. Should you prefer to stay in a nearby hotel at your expense, click here for more information
• A bag with a change of clothes, toiletries and necessary medications
• Food and snacks as the Garden Cafe may have limited availability
• An umbrella should you need it walking from the parking lot

For your safety, please park on the surface lots as upper levels of the parking garages, including the crosswalks, will be closed. All other entrances will be open. Due to COVID-19 safety issues, there will be no child or pet care. Feel free to use these resources as a backup plan.

We will keep you updated if any further changes are made.

Feb. 13, 2021 | 1:39 p.m.

Meteorologists continue to monitor a major winter storm approaching the Houston area this weekend, which could result in icy roads. This may make it difficult for some staff to come into the hospital Monday morning.

We need to prepare for these potential challenges in order to continue to provide safe, quality care to our patients. Your safety is also important as roads may be too dangerous for you to safely arrive or go home. If you are working Sunday or Monday, we ask that you bring:

• Your own bedding, as this will not be provided
• A bag with a change of clothes, toiletries and necessary medications
• Food and snacks

Due to COVID-19 safety issues, there will be no child or pet care. Feel free to use these resources as a backup plan.

We will keep you updated throughout the weekend on any changes on the Monday schedule, if necessary. Should you have immediate concerns, please reach out to your manager directly. Thank you for everything you do for our patients.