Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital

ALSO BY SHERI FINK

War Hospital: A True Story of Surgery and Survival

Copyright © 2013 by Sheri Fink
All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com

CROWN and the Crown colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

“The Deadly Choices at Memorial,” by Sheri Fink. Copyright © 2009 by Pro Publica, Inc. All rights reserved. Portions reprinted by kind permission of Pro Publica, Inc. First published in the
New York Times Magazine
.

“Flu Nightmare: In Severe Pandemic, Officials Ponder Disconnecting Ventilators From Some Patients,” by Sheri Fink. Copyright © 2009 by Pro Publica, Inc. All rights reserved. Portions reprinted by kind permission of Pro Publica, Inc.

“Rationing Medical Care: Health Officials Struggle With Setting Standards,” by Sheri Fink. Copyright © 2009 by Pro Publica, Inc. All rights reserved. Portions reprinted by kind permission of Pro Publica, Inc. First published on
MinnPost.com
.

“Preparing for a Pandemic, State Health Departments Struggle with Rationing Decisions,” by Sheri Fink. Copyright © 2009 by Pro Publica, Inc. All rights reserved. Portions reprinted by kind permission of Pro Publica, Inc. First published in the
New York Times
.

“Doctors Face Ethical Decisions in Haiti” and “Rationing Health in Disasters,” by Sheri Fink. Copyright © 2010 by Sheri Fink. All rights reserved. First broadcast on
PRI’s The World
.

“In Hurricane’s Wake, Decisions Not to Evacuate Hospitals Raise Questions,” by Sheri Fink. Copyright © 2012 by Sheri Fink. All rights reserved. First published on
ProPublica.org
.

“Beyond Hurricane Heroics: What Sandy Has to Teach Us All About Preparedness,” by Sheri Fink. Copyright © 2013 by Sheri Fink. All rights reserved. First published in
Stanford Medicine Magazine
.

Photo of Memorial Medical Center complex, viewed from the south side, on Thursday September 1, 2005. Brad Loper /
Dallas Morning News

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

eISBN: 978-0-307-71898-3

Maps by Jeffrey L. Ward
Cover design by Chris Brand

v3.1_r1

For Mary Fink,
every living moment

CONTENTS

Cover

Other Books by This Author

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

PHOTO

MAP

SELECTED INDIVIDUALS

NOTE TO THE READER

PART 1: DEADLY CHOICES

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

PART 2: RECKONING

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Epilogue

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

NOTES

SELECTED INDIVIDUALS

Affiliations listed as at the time of the events in the book
.
Relatives listed only if they appear in the book
.

Doctors (many on staff at both Memorial and LifeCare)

Dr. Bill Armington—Neuroradiologist

Dr. Horace Baltz—Internal medicine specialist, one of the longest-serving medical staff members present for storm

Dr. Reuben Chrestman—Medical staff president; on vacation

Dr. Ewing Cook—Chief medical officer, retired pulmonologist experienced in critical care medicine
 Minnie Cook, wife, former surgical intensive care unit nurse
 Stephanie Meibaum, daughter, current surgical intensive care unit nurse

Dr. Roy Culotta—Pulmonologist and critical care specialist; grandmother sheltering at LifeCare

Dr. Richard E. Deichmann—Chairman, Department of Medical Services

Dr. Kathleen Fournier—Internal medicine specialist

Dr. Juan Jorge Gershanik—Neonatologist

Dr. Bryant King—Internal medicine specialist

Dr. John Kokemor—Internal medicine specialist; former coroner assistant under Dr. Frank Minyard

Dr. Anna Maria Pou—Otolaryngologist; head and neck surgeon, specialist in cancer surgery
 Vincent Panepinto, husband
 Peggy Perino, sister
 Dr. Frederick Pou, father
 Frederick Pou Jr., brother
 Jeanette Pou, mother
 Jeannie Pou, sister
 Michael Pou, brother

Dr. Paul Primeaux—Anesthesiologist

Dr. John Skinner—Pathologist

Dr. John Thiele—Pulmonologist experienced in critical care medicine

Dr. John J. Walsh Jr.—Chairman, Department of Surgical Services

Memorial Medical Center

Nurses

Lori Budo—Surgical intensive care unit nurse

Cathy Green—Surgical intensive care unit nurse

Thao Lam—Medical intensive care unit nurse Cheri

Landry—Surgical intensive care unit nurse

Patients and Their Family Members (ages and locations as of time of storm)

Helen Breckenridge—77, intensive care unit, eighth floor

Jannie Burgess—79, intensive care unit, eighth floor
 Linette Burgess Guidi, daughter
 Johnny Clark, brother
 Gladys Clark Smith, sister
 Bertha Mitchell, niece

Essie Cavalier—79, fourth-floor medical ward

Donna Cotham—41, fourth-floor medical ward

Tesfalidet Ewale—66, intensive care unit, eighth floor

Merle Lagasse—76, fourth-floor medical ward Karen Lagasse, daughter

Rodney Scott—63, intensive care unit, eighth floor

Hospital Administrators, Managers, and Nonclinical Staff