Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
Hospital officials late Tuesday were still mopping up and assessing the damage caused by a malfunctioning fire hydrant that caused flooding and water damage to portions of the first floor at ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano.
The exterior hydrant, which is maintained by the hospital, malfunctioned about 10 a.m. Both the hospital and the clinic remained open, but there were limits on the services provided, said Dorothy Erdmann, chief executive officer.
“Incident Command was opened and the Shawano team, supported by colleagues throughout the system, has been working hard to minimize the impact on patients,” she said in a statement. “At this time, the hospital and clinic remain open for patient care.”
The emergency department has continued treating and assessing patients as they arrive, Erdmann said.
“At this time, no one has been diverted to another hospital,” she said.
Surgeries that had been set for Wednesday have been rescheduled, Erdmann said.
She also said some imaging and lab services have been impacted.
“Those areas are being dried and assessed by our biomedical teams,” she said.
Erdmann said the hospital is also using bottled water for all purposes until the water system can be tested and declared safe by public health.
“Structurally, the hospital is safe, but engineers are evaluating the damage to determine what needs to be repaired or replaced in the flooded area,” Erdmann said. “Our New London hospital has also opened Incident Command and is ready to help with patient care if needed.”
Hospital officials said patients were not at risk during the incident.