Terrebonne General resumes full operation after Hurricane Ida damaged Houma hospital

Terrebonne General Health System's Houma hospital is fully operational for the first time since Hurricane Ida hit nearly two months ago.

“I am so proud to say all services are open, and all staff has returned to work," Terrebonne General President and CEO Phyllis Peoples said Tuesday. “Our incredible team has been resilient, working around the clock to restore and renew our physical buildings, our clinical team is in place, and we are happy to be able to meet the health-care needs of our community.”

Ida tore off huge sections of the hospital's roof, dropped rain inside some areas and shut down power and water as the Category 4 storm roared through the area Aug. 29.

What happened:Ida and COVID-19: 'Twin-demic' slams Houma hospitals

The hurricane also caused major damage at Houma's other hospital, Chabert Medical Center, along with Ochsner St. Anne in Raceland and Lady of the Sea in Galliano. A day later, all of the hospitals evacuated their patients by ambulance to other facilities around the state.

Until Chabert reopened Oct. 8, Thibodaux Regional was the only fully functioning hospital in Terrebonne and Lafourche, an area with a combined population of about 200,000 people.

St. Anne returned to full operation last Friday, leaving Lady of the Sea, which has about 20 beds, the only hospital still not offering services that require an overnight stay.

For much of September, Terrebonne General and the Louisiana Army National Guard operated a medical unit of tents and other temporary facilities outside the hospital. There, doctors could stabilize emergency patients until they could be transported by ambulance to other hospitals.

Terrebonne General's emergency department returned to service late last month and many of its outpatient services also came back online gradually. As of Tuesday, the hospital is able to provide all essential services, including inpatient, outpatient and cancer care; cardiology; surgeries; and labor and delivery, officials said.

In addition, Terrebonne General will continue to operate mobile medical walk-in clinics throughout the parish through October. Here's a current schedule:

Oct. 21: Holy Family Catholic Church, 6641 Grand Caillou Road, Dulac.

Oct. 27: Robichaux Ford, 272 W. Main St., Schriever.

The clinic will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Food and other hurricane supplies. 

For information, call Terrebonne General at 873-4141, visit tghealthsystem.com or follow the health system on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.