INSIDE: Hugo Remembered
Sept. 19, 2014
MEDICAL UNIVERSITY of SOUTH CAROLINA
Vol. 33, No. 5
remembering hurricAne hugo – 25 yeArs lAter
Inside AnnuAl Service AwArdS
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A time of chArActer, courAge And resolve
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he late poet Robert Frost had long gone to his reward by Sept. 21, 1989, when Hurricane Hugo made landfall around midnight on South Carolina’s coast. But the excerpts below from his poem, “One Step Backward Taken,” could well apply to the unforgettable sights and sounds many of us witnessed that horrible night: I felt my standpoint shaken In the universal crisis. But with one step backward taken I saved myself from going.
Photo by Anne Thompson, Digital Imaging
President Emeritus Dr. James and Ann Edwards pose by the Hurricane Hugo stained glass window inside St. Luke’s Chapel. The Eye of the Storm window is a reminder of the devastation and destruction caused by the Category IV storm on Sept. 21, 1989. The chapel was rebuilt and rededicated in February 1994. See Edwards’ story page 6.
With a 20–foot storm surge and winds topping 135 miles per hour, the Category 4 hurricane slammed into the Palmetto State, with McClellanville and surrounding areas taking the
See Hugo on page 3
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Celebrating employees for their dedication, commitment and service.
Hugo StorieS
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Dr. Edwards and others share their bird’s eye view of the storm.
2 Annual Awards 5 Meet Judi 9 Nurse’s Story t H e c AtA ly S t online http://www. musc.edu/ catalyst
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40 years Marie D. Tabor
University Service Awards Family Med
30 years Mary Neale Berkaw College of Dental Med Evelyn G. Blake Library David E. Droze Engineering & Facilities Raymond D. Edwards Pathology & Lab Med Hugh B. Faulkner III Board of Trustees Barry L. Hainer Family Med James E. Jones Information Technology Nancy E. MaCaulay Pediatrics Deborah D. Matzelle Neurosciences Cindy B. Oliver College of Dental Med Doris E. Pinckney Human Resources Administration Timothy S. Roylance Instit Tech & Faculty Svcs Indergit Singh Pediatrics Odessa Blanton Ussery College of Medicine Paula M. White Grants & Contracts Accounting Pam Wilkinson Controller’s Office
20 years David J. Cole President’s Office Momka Bratoeva Regenerative Med-Cell Biology Margaret S. Bull College of Dental Med Dianne Martin Campbell University Mail Services Michael Campbell Engineering & Facilities-Zone 2 Joel B. Cochran Pediatrics Ruth Stockdell Conner College of Nursing Amy Louise Connolly College of Grad Studies William F. Conway Radiology Peter B. Cotton Med Deborah V. Deas-nesmith COM-Student Affairs C. Lindsay Devane Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Thomas A. Dix College of Pharmacy Thomas A. Driggers Comparative Med-Lab Animal Res Dallas D. Ellis Jr. Med Felicia P. Enoch University Risk Mgmt Ruth E. Fortini Division of Education Janice Eva Freeman Med Dorthea L. Gadsden Education & Student Life Charles E. Hammond SCTR Institute Anne M. Hantske College of Dental Med Joseph Hartwell Engineering & Facilities Gloria Holloman Development Deborah C. Humbert Parking Management Elizabeth Puthoff Hyland Cardiothoracic Surgery Richard C. Jablonski Library Dorthea Denise Jenkins Pediatrics Sonia Jill McCoy Jenikins Radiology Susan S. Johnson College of HealthProfessions Dhndapani Kuppuswamy Med Mary Ellen Lenhardt Education & Student Life Leigh W. Manzi Development Mary P. Mauldin Institutional Tech & Faculty Res Harold D. May Microbiology & Immunology
Medical University Annual Service
Award Ceremony and Reception, Sept. 23 and Sept. 24, 2014 Drug Discovery Building Atrium/Lobby Helena M. Middleton-Brown College of Dental Med Lawrence C. Mohr Med Terrence X. O’Brien Med Mary S. Rackley Med Ross A. Rames Urology Adrian Reuben Med Kristina Lynn Avery Rodgers-Cishek Pediatrics Betty P. Rouse Engineering &Facilities Melisa D. Rowland Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Deborah A. Salvo MUSC Foundation John J. Sanders College of Dental Med Sonja K. Schoenwald Psy & Behavioral Sciences Gerard Silvestri Med Avtar K. Singh Pathology & Lab Medicine Stephen W. Skelton SCTR Institute Christine M. Skope Med Suzanne W. Smith Psy & Behavioral Sciences Demetri D. Spyropoulos Pathology & Lab Med Terry Stanley COM Development Lisa L. Steed Pathology & Lab Med Robert T. Stickney Engineering & Facilities Kenneth Thomas Office of Research Integrity Elizabeth Anne Thompson Instit Tech & Faculty Svcs Thomas C Trusk Regen Med & Cell Biology Claudia D. Umphlet Comparative Med-Lab Res Lori Upshur Peds Aljoeson Walker Neurology Dennis K. Watson Path & Lab Medicine Katie J. Williams Nursing
10 years Deborah Knecht Adams Med Dustin L. Annan Info Technology Kevin S. Armstrong Psych & Behavioral Sciences Charlotte Ann Ashby Psych & Behavioral Sciences Jerome Baker Univ Transportation Svcs Amy Marie Baldridge Psych & Behavioral Sciences Anita Elliott Baxley Research & Sponsored Programs James F. Benson Engineering & Facilities Cynthia R. Blackman Radiation Oncology Galina Stephanie Bogatkevich Med Deza Maraye Bonsell Cell & Molecular Pharmacology Rebecca L. Bowman Univ Risk Management Jennifer Michelle Braden Peds James Alan Brisendine Hollings Cancer Center Fred C. Brown Med Jamie W. Brown Engineering & Facilities Jeffrey Sullivan Bush Med Andrew M. Cates Biomed Informatics Center Angela Caroline Chi College of Dental Med
Jeffrey S. Cluver Psych & Behavioral Sciences Brian Thomas Conner Nursing Phillip Costello Radiology Warren Davis Jr. Cell & Molecular Pharmacology Brianna Lynne Davis Nursing John James Dell OCIO Vanessa Astrud Diaz Family Med Catherine Riley Dillon Public Health Sciences Shannon Jordan Drayton College of Pharacy Michelle Dawn Duenas Med Amy Louise Duff College of Dental Med Cristol Moris Duke Peds Valerie Lynne Durkalski-Mauldin Public Health Sci Jordan J. Elm Public Health Sci Beata Danine Fleming Education Student Life John Richard Fletcher Engineering & Facilities Geoffrey A. Forbus Peds Louis L. Franz Engineering & Facilities Monika Gooz Med Paul Lamar Grant Engineering & Facilities Ida D. Green Engineering & Facilities Kristina Kay Gustafson Peds Jonathan J. Halford Neurology Jullie Fessenden Ham Med Azizul Haque Microbiology & Immunology Kelly C. Harris Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Michelle T. Hayes Public Relations Tanya Waring Hearn Public Safety Bridget R. Hinkebein Public Safety Vanessa K. Hinson Neurology Donna K. Hoffman Urology Joshua David Hornig Otolary-Head & Neck Surgery Emily Eades Johnson College of Health Professions Meredith Ayme Kerr Nursing Andrew Steven Kraft Hollings Cancer Center Mary Catherine Kral Peds
See University on page 9
The Catalyst Editorial of fice MUSC Office of Public Relations 135 Cannon Street, Suite 403C, Charleston, SC 29425 843-792-4107 Fax: 843-792-6723 Editor: Cindy Abole catalyst@musc.edu Catalyst staff: Mikie Hayes, hayesmi@musc.edu The Catalyst is published weekly. Paid adver tisements, which do not represent an endorsement by MUSC or South Carolina, are handled by Island Publications Inc., Moultrie News, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, S.C., 843849-1778 or 843-958-7490.
THe CaTalysT, Sept. 19, 2014 3
Hugo
Continued from Page One
brunt of Hugo’s fury as the eye entered Charleston Harbor. One physical plant worker at MUSC recalled the eerie environment in the hours before Hugo’s arrival, saying only, “It was dark — real dark.” A world torn loose went by me. Then the rain stopped and the blowing, And the sun came out to dry me. By the time Hugo’s remnants entered Canada, it had claimed approximately 60 lives and left nearly 100,000 homeless. Its intensity was such that hurricane–force wind gusts were felt as far inland as western North Carolina. It resulted in $10 billion in damage in 1989 (more than $19 billion in today’s dollars), making it the most damaging storm ever recorded at the time. Other hurricanes have since passed it in terms of fatalities and damage, but many Lowcountry residents still mark time as pre–Hugo and post–Hugo. There will never be another Hugo, in fact, as the National Weather Service has retired the name. Here at MUSC, acts of heroism were everywhere. In this special section marking Hugo’s 25th anniversary are first–hand accounts of the utter chaos only a Category 4 hurricane can bring, the courageous actions that sprang out of the melee and the struggle to return to normalcy in the days and weeks that followed. We hope you enjoy this retrospective commemorating a milestone in MUSC’s rich history.
VP recalls aftermath of Hurricane Hugo By Mikie Hayes Public Relations As Hurricane Hugo surged toward Charleston, state and city officials urged local residents to evacuate. Jim Fisher, then MUSC’s executive director of Development and Alumni Affairs, released his staff and took his own family to Columbia. Upon returning on Saturday, Sept. 23, he went to his office in the Sebring– Aimar House, a stately Greek Revival–style home dating back to the early 1800s on the corner of Ashley Avenue and Calhoun Street. As he assessed the damage, two things vividly stood out in his mind. “The flooring on the ground level was covered entirely in a thick layer of plough mud,” he said. “It was as slick as anything I’d ever seen. You had to walk like Mr. Tudball on the Carol Burnett show not to slip and fall. In my
office, the sheer force of the water had hurled everything into a pile in one corner: furniture, desks, chairs, tables, lamps, files - all of it destroyed. I noticed a waterline; it measured over three feet high.” Next, Fisher called everyone on his team to check on them. He wanted to make sure Fisher everyone was safe and get some sense of the kind of damage, loss or injury they had sustained. He then made an executive decision: He gave the entire team the next week off. “Don’t even worry about coming in for a week,” he told them. “Take care of your business so that when we get back in here, you’re not overwhelmed.” As he surveyed the campus,
most striking to Fisher was the damage that St. Luke’s Chapel, MUSC’s most recognizable icon, sustained. “St. Luke’s Chapel was a very visual and visceral reminder of what happened. The wind literally lifted the roof off of the building, and then it smashed back down on top of itself. Pieces of the stained–glass window were all over Ashley Avenue. Interestingly, the chapel was the very last thing on campus to be fixed, so, for a year and a half, you were hit with the memory of Hugo. It served as a constant reminder of having made it through — of having prevailed. Charlestonians are very resilient. It was amazing how quickly everyone worked together to get to this institution back up to speed.” Fisher to this day remembers the remarkable leadership MUSC President James B. Edwards,
See Aftermath on page 9
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Medical Center Service Awards 40 years Geraldine V. Gourdine Phillip Evans Jarvis
Main OR OCIO Info Services
30 years Connie R. Barbour Medical ICU Barbara Bender Bradham OCIO Info Services Darby Ann Brass Fast Flow & Satellite Labs Linus Brown Radiology Administration Sheryl L. Champagne Anesthesia Ambulatory OR Michael A. Coffman OCIO Info Services Shirley Ann Cummings-Jamison ART Endoscopy Sheila Brown Freeman Dietetic Services Vivian Frasier Gathers Labor & Delivery Elizabeth C. Gray Neonatal Nurseries Rebecca L. Higginbotham ART Holding Emily Palmer-Gadsden Fast Flow & Satellite Labs Cynthia A. Roberts Communications Ronda Jean Sanders Cytopathology Barrie Bell Tyler Respiratory Therapy Marilyn York Willis Clinical Documentation Sheila S. Springer Medical Records File Retrieval Demetria J. Washington Utilization Mgt
20 years Allan Keith Beeks OCIO Info Services Donna Rae Blish Mother Baby Unit Kennith L. Brinkman Safety, Security & Volunteer Svcs Shirley S. Brown Clinical Resource Barbara Smalls Busby Guest Services Debra Jean Capps Radiology-Diagnostic Patricia A. Cohen Fast Flow & Satellite Labs Patricia A. Condon Women’s Health Admin Harriet S. Cooney Psychiatry Practice Plan Althea Cooper-Smith Labor & Delivery Aileen Smalls Cromwell Venipuncture Jamieson H. Dirkes OCIO Info Services Myrna Q. Divinagracia Adult Psych-1N Jeanne D. Drose Respiratory Therapy James W. Ferris Jr. Safety, Security & Volunteer Svcs Lisa Denise Foster-Nesbit Registration Admin Deonne Nicole Francewar HLA Laboratory Janice Freeman ART Endoscopy Jean M. Goodson Main OR William John Graham ART Safety & Security Allyson Murray Hart Pharmacy Services Coletha L. Heyward Environmental Services Jean A. Houser Outpatient Cardiac Rehab Michael Graham Irving Office of CMIO Jacqueline M. Jacobus Neonatal Nurseries Karen Elaine Johnson Clinical Documentation Jo Ann West Keller Neonatal Nurseries Kelly Ann Kornegay Epilepsy Center Cheryl Lee Medical Records Laura Gilchrist Leonard Risk Management Michelle Antoinette Lincoln Clinical Effectiveness Cynthia B. Locklair Medical Center HR Rhonda L. Long Biomedical Engineering Marshall McFadden Safety, Security & Volunteer Svcs Frederick W. Miles Plant Maintenance Laura Williams Myers Neonatal Nurse Practitioners
Annual Service Award Ceremony Sept. 23 and Sept. 24, 2014 Mary Ellen Butler Nelson Radiology Pauline B. Nelson Fast Flow & Satellite Labs Ruthy K. Nesmith ART-Adult Respiratory Phyllis Jeanette O’Neal Main OR John G. Oliver Orthopaedic Cast Room Nedra J. Pappas Hospital Finance Admin Nancy Lucinda Parker Main OR Susan Golob Popiel Family Medicine Linda Gail Poulos Clinical Resource Suzanne C. Ravenel Medical ICU Linda Rutland Reeves Musculoskeletal Svc Line Janice D. Rhodes CTC Community Training Stacey Jaye Ribble RT Children’s Endoscopy Glenn Robinson ART Safety & Security John Michael Sanders Chief Ops Officer Pacifico A. Santiago Jr. Plant Maintenance Anita B. Shuler Peds Respiratory Therapy Patricia A. Simmons Patient Admissions April Slagle Labor & Delivery Elaine Sola ART-DDC Sharon Stevens 9W Neurology-Neurosurgery Williamm A. Thomison Safety, Security & Volunteer Svcs Annette Thompson OCIO Info Services Vernell Threat Safety, Security & Volunteer Svcs Leslile Scheurer Von Lehe Neonatal Nurseries Cynthia Margaret Wand SEI
10 years Christine Ashley Aanstoos 8D Peds Cardiac Unit Heather Heath Adams HVC Diane L. Aghapour Patient Support Services Sarah Page Atkins Ambulatory Holding Rosemarie Battaglia Childrens Services Ambulatory Charity Jean Berg-Maggard ART DDC Nicole Mulllinax Bernier Patient Satisfaction Program David Bishop Ashley Ave Phys-OT Martha E. Britt Financial Counselors Helen V. Brooks Discharge Call Program Cynthia D. Brown ART DDC Jacob Spencer Bush Communications Sara Roam Carroll Clinical Effectiveness Marilia Castello Transfusion Medicine Bruce Arthur Chambers Ambulatory OR Betty A. Chandler 6W Trauma Surgical Svcs Baby Carmen Escano Cinense 8E Medical Acute Care Rita Susan Clabaugh-Dewalt HVC Prep & Recovery Casey Candy Cline ART OR Margaret Elizabeth Collins Radiology Nursing Svcs Audra Kiley Condon Speech Pathology Faye Vickery Connor ART Endoscopy David C. Cordray Hospital Patient Accounting Jennifer Olivia Corson ART Hematology Oncology Michael Craine Venipuncture Jay Willia Craven Safety, Security & Volunteer Svcs Tricia Marie Crocker RT Outpatient Pharmacy Lanita Regina Davis 7W Traci D. Davis SEI Peds Lorena Carol DelGrosso 7A Infant Care Unit Cynthia A. Dollason CH Afterhours & Specialty Clinics Clarice Smyly Dorsey Radiology Nursing Svcs Melissa Anita Dunkerley Clinical Education
James A. Early OCIO Info Services Peggy J. Edgerton DDC Clinical Catherine Ann Edwards Family Medicine Lewis Eisele Cardiac Care Unit Maribeth D. Epley Electrophysiology Lab Christi Arlene Ferguson ART Endoscopy Laura M. Finklea HVC Prep & Recovery David Henry Frisby Central Supply Daniel P. Gracie Epic Inpatient Clinical Tamara Aleace Graves 6E Renal Transplant Christine Greco Endocrinology Mikia T. Green Radiology Susan Diane Groome Anesthesia Jimmy A. Gunter CEP/Infrastructure Barbara Ann Haase Lactation Center Jenair April Hamilton CT-ICU Christopher A. Hardee HVC Prep & Recovery Dawn P. Heyward Cardiac Mechanical Support Elsie Eileen Hill Cyropreservation Nadara Dale Hoffmann Antepartum GYN Denise Elaine Horry-Asby Registration Lisa A. Hunninghake CDAP Elizabeth Berry Hutson Clinical Effectiveness Courney S. Jarrard OT-3W Nicole M. Jeffcoat Medical ICU Deborah Carol Jenkins Hospital Patient Accounting James F. Johnson Biomed Engineering Johnny H. Johnston Peri Anesthesia Felecia Jones Patient Transport Svcs Bruce K. Keck Pharmacy Repackaging Ctr David L. Kerns Fast Flow & Satellite Labs Paula L. Kersey Epilepsy Center Kimberly Ann Kirby Anesthesia Main OR Laurie Anne Krafsig Patient Admissions Lisa Marie Langdale Nursing Prof Development Melinda J. Lange Investigational Drug Service Malcom J. Lanter Epic Inpatient Clinical Brienne Adair Lawrence Radiation Oncology Treandra Z. Lawson Meducare Michael C. Limehouse Central Supply Holly Michelle Loflin Pharmacy Anthony John Lynes OCIO Info Services Betty J. McKelvey Psychiatric Nursing Theodore A. Middleton SEI Retina Jennifer H. Minick ART 3W William T. Mitchell III Main OR Rebecca J. Moore Labor & Delivery Jennifer L. Morse Cytogenetics Carla B. Morton HVC Clinical Outcomes & Quality Laurie Ann Moultrie Meduflex Brooke W. Nitterhouse Peds ICU Donna Jean Oden Diagnostic Microbiology Gloria Palmer-Long Diagnostic Microbiology Bobbie L. Pearson Radiology Diagnostic Lauree Gail Pearson Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Rebecca M. Peters Outpatient Billing Office Joyce L. Peterson Speciality Nursing Dawn Marie Pike Peds Respiratory Therapy Cynthia S. Plutro Star Ladson Charlene M. Porcelli Adult Echo Carrie J. Pridgen ART Endoscopy Cynthia I. Prioleau Central Supply Phyllis L. Randolph DDC-6E Barbara A. Ravenel ART Central Supply Elizabeth L Reigart Transplant & Nephrology
See Awards on page 9
THe CaTalysT, Sept. 19, 2014 5
meet Judi
Judi Bucknam
Department Dermatology/Dermatologic Surgery How you are changing what’s possible at MUSC Through my work on emloyee satisfaction How long at MUSC 24 years in September Children and pets Stephanie, Matthew, Jeannie, Kevin and Chris; and a dog, Lizzy What is your idea of a dream job To own a craft store Favorite summer activity One week in July, all grandchildren (11 of them) stay with me for a week of crafts, swimming and eating. It’s like a “shark fest.” What food is a must have in the pantry Potato chips. I always must have a fresh bag. Greatest moment in your life Doing mission work in the Dominican Republic and seeing children hear for the first time.
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A remembrance - Hurricane Hugo BByy JJaMes aMes B. B. eedwards dwards,, dMd dMd President President Emeritus Emeritus
H
urricane Hugo was one of the most catastrophic events in the history of South Carolina, most especially Charleston. It was indeed an event to remember. The doctors and nurses and staff were challenged beyond imagination. I will never forget their heroism and dedication both during and after the storm. Several weeks before Hurricane Hugo, we had a leaders meeting to develop a plan of operation in the event of a hurricane coming through Charleston. I told them that although we had not had a major hurricane in many years, I wanted to plan as if one was coming straight across backup. I don't know why, but I said, "We will lose power. I want a generator accessible under shelter with wires running to the ICU unit." When it was confirmed that Hugo would hit South Carolina, we tried to evacuate as many patients as we could from the hospital. The 355 patients left were cared for with unbelievable dedication, courage and tenacity on the part of all of the personnel. Ann and I rode out the storm with my assistant, Steve Jones. We were in my office when the big plate glass window blew out. The wind blew everything off my desk and Ann remarked that was the first time my desk had ever been clean. We moved into the boardroom, pushing the table and chairs against the door. The wind blew right through the barricade, so we moved into an inner room with no windows. The power was out so we were in the dark. Ann said, "I think we should pray." Steve said, "What in the hell do you think I have been doing all night?" We heard a heavy thud and a crash and thought it was the big crane that was on campus for renovations. We later discovered it was historic St. Luke's Chapel. At 2 a.m., with no power, the phone rang and I wondered who in the world would be calling me at that time of night. It was Governor Campbell asking how it was going and what could he do
Photo by James H. Nicholson, Pathology & Lab Medicine
Hurricane-force winds uprooted oak trees and scattered limbs and debris blocking Ashley Avenue. Below left, water from the storm surge caused massive flooding and reached more than five feet around MUSC’s Horseshoe at Ashley Avenue. to help. I thanked him profusely and told him we would need the National Guard at daybreak and we would need more generators. During the night, most of the windows in the hospital blew out. We were moving the patients into the halls. All of the staff, as well as the patients, had been given ID bracelets to wear. There was a command post set up and MUSC was fully prepared and oriented for the hurricane. Although we knew it was bad, no one realized how bad. Someone from the command room instructed us to “come over now” as we were going to lose the crosswalk and the power. We asked how long would we be without power and were told 17-18 minutes. Every doctor and nurse was dispatched to the ICU units to bag the patients with oxygen. As the windows were blowing out, the bassinettes were being sucked toward the windows. The nurses were heroic in grabbing them and moving them into the hall. One of the nurses had the door slam on her arm. This was our only casualty. Ann and I made the rounds on all the
floors. It was extremely hot in the halls and the patients there were gravely ill. There was an elderly African–American man with tubes from his IV coming from everywhere. Ann asked if he was in any pain. He told her he could manage. She asked if she could get him anything for pain or was there anything else that she could do for him. He said, "I have my power." He turned back the covers and there was a well–worn Bible. “I've got my help here. God bless you.” No one complained about the heat or the disadvantages of being in the hall. The medical staff had a calm assurance. All had smiles, all working hard… working together in a grave situation. At daybreak we went out and walked across the Horseshoe, stepping around all of the downed power lines. As we looked up, we could see the National Guard was there. Because of all of the devastation, our relief staff could not get in and those in the hospital could not get home. We saw St. Luke’s Chapel and it was devastating. The gable end was lying in
Flood water reached the stage steps in Baruch Auditorium.
Ashley Avenue. The beautiful stained– glass window was in a heap. Ann and I began picking up the pieces of glass, and we were soon joined by others. It was here that I made a vow that St. Luke’s would be restored.
See Edwards on page 7
THe CaTalysT, Sept. 19, 2014 7
photo by Anne Thompson,/Digital Imaging
Photo by James H. Nicholson, Pathology & Lab Medicine
One of the most heavily damaged buildings on campus was St. Luke’s Chapel. Hugo’s high winds ripped off the chapel roof and blew out windows and collapsed multiple walls. South Carolina National Guard troops helped remove the debris. President emeritus Dr. James B. Edwards led the chapel’s restoration committee coordinating repair of stained-glass windows, organ, pews and building.
edwards
Children protected at all costs
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That promise was fulfilled through numerous contributions from the private sector including those who had attended Porter Military Academy. There were a few pieces of glass left over when the window was restored. These shards make up an image of Hugo next to the front door of the chapel. Everything on campus was affected. There was three feet of standing water in the Pharmacology Building on Calhoun Street. Ashley Avenue was full of cars and uprooted trees. The physical plant had 11 feet of water. The roof on the East wing of the hospital was gone. The roof of the Children's Hospital sustained severe damage. There was massive flooding everywhere. The physical plant personnel were extraordinarily brave and efficient. I have a picture of one of the workers, who sported a long beard, emerging from underneath the physical plant building; he was remarking on the enormous number of cockroaches, muddy, dripping wet, and totally unafraid. When Ann and I got home to Mount Pleasant, we looked back on Charleston and the only lights on were the lights at MUSC. It looked like a Christmas tree! There are not nearly enough words to convey to people who did not go
Dr. and Mrs. James B. Edwards return to St. Luke’s Chapel, which took a total of four years and four months of painstaking, detailed work to repair and rebuild. The building was reopened and rededicated Feb. 10, 1994.
B red TeCklenBurg, Md Byy F JaMes B. edwards, dMd Pediatric President Critical EmeritusCare
Stained glass saved from a window. through the hurricane, the character, the courage, the extraordinary resolve, the fellowship, the dedication to their chosen professions that the people of the MUSC xhibited. They were unselfish in what they did and they did it cheerfully and with a teamwork that I have never again witnessed in any one group of people. speCial THanks To: Brooke Fox, universiTy arCHivisT, MusC waring HisToriCal liBrary and THe liBrary’s online exHiBiT, pHoTos By JaMes H. niCHolson, deparTMenT oF paTHology & laB MediCine and
anne THoMpson, digiTal iMaging
It’s hard to believe Hurricane Hugo was 25 years ago. I have several vivid memories that I think I’ll take to my grave. As the storm intensified, my colleagues and I had a bird’s eye view from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of bluish arcs emanating from exploding transformers over peninsular Charleston followed by entire sections of the city going black. The Ashley Avenue side of our relatively new Children’s Hospital felt the first blast of the storm. Patients were moved to the hallways — some beds with two or three children in them. There were leaks everywhere on our top floor, with saturated floors and some broken windows, but the winds calmed down as the eye approached and it seemed that our patients — and the building — were reasonably safe. Dr. Charles Darby, then–chairman of Pediatrics, and I went down to the loading dock area on Sabin Street during the eye and were awestruck by the clear view of stars overhead and the eerie sensation of barometric changes and the rapidity of a storm surge creeping up and then covering the street.
I went back to the PICU, which is on the top west floor of the building, to wait for the notorious “back end” of the storm. Within minutes we could hear a howling wind seemingly beating the side of the building with each new band. A nurse called me into a patient room in the far southwest corner of the unit because she thought the room was moving. Sure enough the corner was literally shifting with ceiling panels twisting and the windows making a sick groan. We quickly disconnected the ventilator and lines, bagged the patient and pushed the bed out of the room. Literally, as we closed the doors, the windows burst open in the room like an explosion. We had eight patients in the 10–bed unit — most of whom were on ventilators with all the usual support lines. As we stood in the main area which housed seven of the beds, trying to decide where to move our rescued patient, the decision was made for us. Windows started breaking open and the whole unit felt like one large, wet wind tunnel. One crib with a ventilated patient was pushed across the unit before staff captured it. We called a mayday over
See Tecklenburg on page 8
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Surgeon recalls wind, then eerie silence By Fred CrawFord, M.d. Cardiothoracic Surgery
By about 11 p.m., the storm had arrived and the next hour or so was chaos. The lights began to flicker and you could hear the transformers blowing at the substation as one by one the circuits went down. Finally my lights went off and my clock stopped for good at 11:17 p.m. Approximately five minutes later, Grandee Hardy, the Crawford clinical director for Cardiovascular Nursing, telephoned me in my office and told me to leave immediately as the windows in the office just below me had just blown out. I grabbed the material I was working on and moved to my outer office, closed the door and within five minutes the windows in my office blew, the ceiling fell in and my office was trashed.
Several others in Cardiothoracic Surgery had also elected to stay in the hospital including Bob Sade, Carolyn Reed and Jack Crumbley. We moved to the outer office, but by this time, the wind noise had become almost unbearable, and the building began to shake rather significantly. Public Safety came through and advised us to move to the central hospital which we did at about 11:30 p.m. There we found most of the other people in the hospital who were able to move. Although I can’t recall the exact sequence of events at that time because things were so hectic, I do recall when the window in the Pediatric ICU blew out, and the nurses and other personnel literally saved the lives of the children by their heroic actions. At about the same time, one of my patients in the Cardiothoracic ICU developed respiratory difficulty. This happened to be a one–month– old child that I had operated upon two days previously, and the child required re-intubation. Just as we were about the re–intubate the child, the lights went out and the child was placed back on the ventilator in the dark. Several of us were sitting in the 2E conference room
See Crawford on page 9
TeCklenBurg
Continued from Page Seven
the emergency radio system, and within a minute or two there must have been 40 or 50 nurses, physicians and maintenance staff moving all the patients into the hallway. At some point in this process, Al, the bioengineering support man for the unit, a pediatric resident and I ended up on the leeward side of a piece of partially unsecured plywood that had been placed over a crucial window. In truth I don’t remember how we ended up in this predicament — but we were all holding it in place as all the patients were being evacuated. Finally, we looked at each other and said “on the count of three” as we let go. The plywood went flying, and so did Al, across the room on the wet floor. Anyway, everyone – including us plywood supporters –made it out safely. Only one patient – the one who took a sail on his crib – suffered some morbidity: he required a blood transfusion for blood lost from a disconnected arterial line. If this wasn’t enough excitement, once in the hallway we lost all generator power. We literally bagged our patients by flashlight for hours until we relocated them to parts of the adult hospital that had generator power. Many of us stayed in the hospital a couple days straight. The most remarkable thing to me through the whole experience was the solidarity and commitment of all the MUSC community. Everybody — the nurses, house staff, maintenance staff, faculty — pitched in and got through it. To cap it all off personally, I got food poisoning on the third day post–Hugo and was fluid–resuscitated on the unit manager’s floor with four liters of saline. To add insult to injury, I never was able to move back into my house post–storm. I gained a keen appreciation for the little things in life and at work because of that storm.
THe CaTalysT, Sept. 19, 2014 9
universiTy
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Hainan Lang Pathology & Lab Medicine Dori Anne Long Psych & Behavioral Sciences Yolanda Long Dental Med Joseph D. Losek Jr. Pediatrics Deidre Kuhl Luttrell Med Louis Luttrell Med Ingrid R. Marshall Radioation Oncology Terri L. Matson Hollings Cancer John Michael McGinnis Psych & Behavioral Sciences Ted A. Meyer Otolaryng-Head & Neck Surgery Katherine A. Morgan GI & Lapro Surgery Margaret K. Myrick Controller’s Office David W. Napier Controller’s Office Kurt H. Nendorf OCIO David J. Northrup OCIO Jennifer Leigh Parker Internal Audit Department
awards
Christopher G. Pelic Psychiatry & Behvioral Sciences Anne M. Peterson Neurosciences Patrick K. Randall Psych & Behavioral Science Sakamuri V. Reddy Pediatrics Karla Swayngim Reed College of Health Professions Robert P. Rentz Grants & Contracts Accounting Alyssa A. Rheingold Psych & Behavioral Sciences Eric S. Rovner Urology Kenneth J. Ruggiero Nursing Shanta R. Salzer Hollings Cancer Center Cynthia A. Schandl Pathology & Lab Medicine Uwe Otto Peter Schoepf Radiology Claudio Schonholz Radiology Cephus E. Simmons Radiology Jennifer A. Smith Med John D. Smith Jr. Engineering & Facilities David Q. Soutter Development Meredith B. Stafford Med Administration
Robert E. Stroud Surgery Lisa M. Summerlin Dental Med Katherine Kossler Taylor Med Ronald J. Teufel II Pediatrics Kenneth D. Tew Cell & Molecular Pharmacology Celia C. Thiedke Family Medicine Isabel Virella-Lowell Pediatrics Mary J. Vogt Med Constantin E. Voronin Psych & Behavioral Sciences Karl Daniel Walsh Dental Med Sharlene Wedin-LeClerc Psych & Behavioral Sciences Edgar J. Weiss Psych & Behavioral Sciences Elizabeth A. Welch Surgery Jesse R. Williams II OCIO Quinessa L. Wilson Parking Management Deidre R. Wright Comparative Medicine-Lab Res Wenle Zhao Public Health Sciences
Dorothy H. Weiss Brenda W. White Monica E. Wigfall
Tina D. Willett Nicole M. Wrazin Sandra Collier Zambetti
Continued from Page Four
Susan S. Rivers ART Endoscopy Cameron M. Roper Hospital Patient Accounting Cynthia A. Rose Main OR Fleur Emelyn Rovillos 8E Medical Paula A. Sain ART Hematology-Onco Shannon Broach Saladin Bronchoscopy Nancy J. Sampson RT Pediatrics Sandra Ann Sansom Neonatal Nurseries Claire Clara Singleton Histopathology Carleene M. Skipper Patient Admissions Alice McKie Skorke HVC Prep & Recovery Kathy Sloan Risk Management Harolyn D. Smith Guest Services Melyssa Anne Smith HVC Prep & Recovery Stephanie E. Snider Surgery Trauma ICU Erin S. Spalviero 9NSI Kitt Starckey-Beam Clinical Documentation Daryl Richard Stawicki CEP/Infrastructure Stephanie E. Steely Medical Records & Coding Margaret M. Stieber ART Electrophysiology Lab Mark A. Stimpon Medical Center HR Kellie Smith Suggs Children’s Services Kristin B. Swiler Women’s Care SL Reginald L. Terry Adult Psych-1N Angela R. Thomas Financial Counselors Tatiana V. Thomas Adult Inpatient Pharmacy Svcs Thomas G. Thompson HLA Lab Thomas D. Tietjen Kidney Transplant Betty A. Tilley Communications Robert M. Tritt Biomedical Engineering Linete K. Tureville Peds ICU-8CHF Cynthia L. Tyler Ambulatory EMR Project Laura Ann Uebelhoer Anesthesia Main OR Shawn R. Valenta Telemedicine Michelle W. Vareltzis Radiology-Mammorgraphy Felicia M. Von Dohlen Neonatal Nurseries James B. Walker Jr. ART Inpatient Pharmacy Carrie A. Ware Neonatal Nurseries Annette Warren Adult Inpatient Program Selena Warren 7W Angela R. Washington Adult Inpatient Pharmacy Labertha E. Washington Venipuncture
CrawFord
ART DDC 6W Meduflex Mother-Baby Unit
Continued from Page Eight
along with Chief Goss at the Command Center and began to notice that it was deathly quiet outside. We realized that this was the eye of the storm and in fact simultaneously noted that our ears began popping due to the change in atmospheric pressure. At about that time, Dr. and Mrs. Edwards came over to the Main Hospital from the Administration Building where they had been staying. I recall distinctly walking with Dr. Edwards down to the ramp over Sabin Street and showing him the rising water and literally the white caps on Sabin Street at that time. Some 30 minutes later, the wind began to pick up, and we obviously began to get into the back side of the storm. For the remainder of that time, I don’t specifically recall my actions but remember being in a variety of places in the hospital including the Pediatric ICU, the Cardiothoracic ICU and the area on the second floor which was functioning as a command post. By about 2 a.m., the winds began to die down, and I returned to my office to see what was left of it. I opened the door rather cautiously but was surprised that the office was relatively calm and that much of my office could be salvaged. Furniture was moved so as to avoid the rain which was pouring through the window and the office was secured. By about 3:30 a.m., it seemed that the storm had passed, that the hospital was reasonably secure and that nothing could effectively be done until daylight. It was obvious upon looking outside that the damage from the storm had been incredibly severe
Anesthesia Main OR HCC Ambulatory HCC Clinics
but it was also obvious that the hospital was still standing, that it was still functioning as a hospital and that, by and large, this could be due only to the nurses, physical plant engineers and other similar personnel who kept it going during the height of the storm. Editor’s note: The story is an excerpt of Dr. Crawford’s personal account submitted for this special edition. Read the complete retrospective at http://www.musc.edu/ catalyst.
aFTerMaTH
Continued from Page Three
D.M.D., displayed during and after the storm. “It started with the fact that he and Ann spent the night here — that meant a lot to people. After the storm, he always looked forward. His message was, ‘It’s business as usual’ which actually was a very strong statement. His high expectations were that we would bounce back quickly, and we all followed his leadership by example.” Fisher chaired the committee responsible for raising the money necessary to restore the chapel and replace the organ that was destroyed in the storm. Even a quarter of a century later, when he sits in a pew surrounded by stained–glass windows and people appreciating the beauty of the chapel, he is reminded that every cloud, no matter how dark, has its silver lining.
10 THe CaTalysT, Sept. 19, 2014
Nurse cherishes reminder
By kaTHy salTer, rn
timeline of tHe Storm - Sept. 21, 1989
University Internal Medicine
Thursday, Sept. 21
I was as an R.N. in the Storm Eye Institute when Hurricane Hugo came through Charleston in 1989. As we got word the storm was expected to hit the area, we packed away anything near windows, canceled patients and were sent home to ride out the storm. When we returned to town we were instructed to call the clinic and see what was needed afterward. My family and I went to Walterboro, and stayed with my in-laws for a couple of days. We could hear the wind whistling and some trees were down but Walterboro was ok. I then went to Beaufort to stay with my dad for a few days and that area had a few trees down but was otherwise was doing well. When I did return to Charleston about 4 days later, as I was coming north on Highway 17, the closer I got to Charleston the worse the damage was. It was clear this was a major storm and I was just beginning to see the effects. One memory that has stayed with me with not only were the traffic lights out because of loss of electricity, but many of the lights had blown off the light poles and were nowhere to be found. Crossing a road took some planning although there was not much traffic on the roads. There was a curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and I kept my MUSC tag available when I was going home after 7 p.m. I was able to stay with friends who had hot water which was the biggest luxury one could ask for at the time (because of
7 a.m. – Heavy rains and 40 mph winds begin pounding lower counties of South Carolina. 9 p.m. – Hugo is upgraded to a Category IV strorm and takes direct aim at Charleston. 10 p.m. – Charleston first experiences hurricane-force winds. Kathy Salter sports her post-Hugo T-shirt presented to employees. a gas water heater.) I contacted my nurse manager and was told that child care was needed for staff who were working and had no daycare —the entire city was disrupted. I had a 4–year–old daughter and 6–year–old son with me, because their sitter was out of town and I could not reach her, so I volunteered for three shifts of child care that lasted 12 hours. We had children all over the Atrium of the Children’s Hospital, from infants to teen agers. One day we had more than 100 children. The infants were easy to care for, but the teenagers were like a herd of wild animals. I made it through my 36 hours of child care and was thankful when the clinic opened and things slowly returned to normal. I did not bag patients in the ICU during the storm, but I think I made my contribution by taking care of children after the storm. I earned my T–shirt that said “I worked through Hurricane Hugo and the aftermath” and will not let that reminder go… as if I could forget!
Friday, Sept. 22 12:30 a.m. – Eye passes over Charleston; 135 mph winds, five foot tidal surge, torrential rain, severe flooding. Emergency power implemented, phone service dies, communication problems ensue. 2 a.m. – High tide along with the impact of the tidal surge causes massive flooding with rainfall amounts between 5-10 inches, storm tides 12-17 feet above normal. The Eye – 40 miles wide, 140 mile wind extension. As storm moves inland, speeds diminish.
THe CaTalysT, Sept 19, 2014 11
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12 THe CaTalysT, Sept. 19, 2014