Stormont Vail Health Flexes to Handle Additional Patients
Stormont Vail Health increased staffing levels with physician, nursing and ancillary support to handle higher patient volumes it is experiencing in its Topeka hospital, Emergency Department and Express Care clinics since a cybersecurity incident was reported at the University of Kansas Health System-St. Francis on Nov. 23.
Ardent Health Services, the Nashville company that operates the KU-St. Francis campus in Topeka, released information today that the incident has been determined to be a ransomware attack and is working to restore information technology operations and capabilities as quickly as possible.
“This is every healthcare CEO’s nightmare,” said Dr. Rob Kenagy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Stormont Vail Health. “We are working closely with our colleagues at KU-St. Francis to ensure that patients in our community are receiving timely and appropriate care. I want to commend our Stormont Vail team for their quick response in bringing in more staff to take care of the additional patients, and for thinking creatively in how we can flex our services to address this situation.
“I also want to commend the St. Francis team on their collaboration in working with us to ensure patients needing care get their care.”
Dr. Kenagy also noted that other organizations in the community stepped up over the holiday weekend to ensure patients were able to access the appropriate care settings, including the Kansas Rehabilitation Hospital, long-term care facilities, and ambulance services.
Stormont Vail Health experienced increased patient volumes in its Express Care urgent care clinics, and in the Topeka hospital’s Emergency Department and inpatient units.
“It has been all hands on deck to ensure we have support staff, nurses and providers in urgent care, Emergency Department and in the hospital,” said Dr. Kenagy. “Our primary and specialty care providers are also pitching in to keep patient services in focus and help to navigate patients to the care they need.”
