As a winter storm hits North Texas, Medical City Plano ensures its round-the-clock readiness by turning an auditorium into staff accommodations.

PLANO, Texas — Winter weather may stop a lot of things, but not what goes on inside a hospital as a winter storm moves through North Texas.

At Medical City Plano, the emergency room is preparing to stay busy around the clock. 

“We are in the 24/7 business. We want people to know we are here to care for them,” Medical City Plano Chief Operations Officer Elizabeth Johnsen said,

“It’s the full staff and complement that we would normally have, but we do have people on-call just in case,” Emergency Room Director Dr. Patrick Zelley said.

As temperatures drop across North Texas, doctors are warning patients about cold-related injuries, the types that will keep area ERs busy. Zelley said hypothermia is a major concern. 

“If you are feeling tingling or pain or any unusual symptoms in the fingers and toes, that’s your body trying to give you a warning to seek heat.”

Doctors say the most common injuries during a winter storm are orthopedic, often from slips and falls on icy surfaces. Some patients are also expected to come in following car accidents. 

One warning is that risk can increase as storms linger. 

“The further you get from the beginning of [the storm], people become a little more bold and a little less cautious,” Zelley said. “You can avoid as much as possible by staying at home.”

Staying home, however, is not an option for hospital staff.

To help employees avoid dangerous travel, the hospital converted an auditorium into sleeping quarters for staff on shifts. The space includes food, showers, and activities. 

“We have a lot of staff that drive near and far,” Johnsen said. “We have over a hundred mattresses, separating male and female accommodations…”

Medical City Plano began weather planning Monday. Johnsen said the focus is on patients and operations.

“Making sure we have enough supplies, and food, oxygen, pharmaceuticals,” she said. “If we were to miss a few days of deliveries, we have enough on hand to weather the storm.”

As the winter storm moves through North Texas, hospital staff continue preparing to do just that — weather the storm.